


Spoil of War

by toobusy2write



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), Glam Rock RPF, Tommy Ratliff (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Exhibitionism, M/M, Minor Character Death, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Spanking, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-20
Updated: 2012-01-20
Packaged: 2017-10-29 20:35:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 122,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/323916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toobusy2write/pseuds/toobusy2write
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the Realm of Ubertas, when a kingdom falls to another, its king becomes a <i>Spoil of War</i>; a slave to the royal family of the conquering kingdom.  Through circumstances of fate, Tommy becomes that Spoil of War and Adam—prince and heir apparent to the throne of the kingdom left standing—becomes his master.  But each has a secret that could change everything…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted here: [Livejournal Masterpost](http://toobusy2write.livejournal.com/121448.html).  
>  **Additional spoiler-ish warnings that may be triggering to some:** There's attempted non-con (NOT between Adam and Tommy), and mentions of past sexual abuse.  
>  **Disclaimer:** Not mine, not for profit...just borrowing them to get the plot bunny that invaded my brain to shut up already.  
>  **Beta'd by:** vlredreign, masnds2, and x0christie0x  
>  **For:** [Lambliff Big Bang](http://lambliffbigbang.livejournal.com/), Round 2  
>  **Setting:** AU; Takes place in a made up world, but for frame of reference, it probably most closely resembles a really AU version of 5th or 6th century Europe.
> 
>  **Author's Note 1:** In the Realm of Ubertas, sexuality is a non-issue, to the point that they don't even have classifications for it. You just are what you are.  
>  **Author's Note 2:** At different times, the term _freedman_ is used. A _freed_ man differs from a _free_ man in that a freedman is someone who was a slave but his freedom was either bought by someone or given to him by his owner or a king, and a freeman is someone who was born free. Freedmen are a step below freemen in status, but above slaves.
> 
>  **Artwork and soundtrack by:** qafmaniac, located [**here**](http://qafmaniac.livejournal.com/201081.html). The artwork is beautiful and the soundtrack is amazing. You should all go there, check the art out and download the soundtrack. I was floored by how well it fit the fic when she sent it to me. Also, make sure you leave her feedback for all her hard work!
> 
>  **Special Thanks:** To vlredreign, masnds2 and x0christie0x for their amazing help beta'ing this monstrosity. When they agreed to do it no one (me included) had any idea it would end up this long, lol. And they rock for doing a good amount of the beta'ing under a time crunch because I got very behind finishing it for various RL reasons. Thank you vlredreign for listening to my insecurities with this and talking me through them. And thank you masnds2or poking me with emails to get me in gear, and for sticking with this even with what you have going on right now. Also, thank you x0christie0x for all your encouragement, your notes, and for helping me make the decision to give this a shot back when I was spazzing out wondering if I could pull it off. And last but definitely not least, thank you qafmaniac for all the beautiful artwork and the amazing soundtrack you made for this, and for all the encouragement you gave me while I was finishing this fic up. I appreciate each of you more than you know.  <3333

  


They were losing. That realization struck Prince Thomas Ratliff like a physical blow as he surveyed the battlefield from atop Wild, his warhorse, sword drawn and ready to take down the next soldier that would undoubtedly engage him. He was a hard mark to resist, what with brandishing Tousma's royal crest on his shield.

It was something to boast about, taking a prince down, and he knew he seemed an easier target than most. The knights who challenged him were obviously deceived by his slight build, if their shocked faces when he eventually took them down were any indication. He was no easy foe. What he lacked in size and brawn, he made up for with speed and cunning. The proof of that lay at Wild's feet, in the form of half a dozen dead or dying men.

And yet, for all his success that day, for all the success of Tousma's army in one-on-one combat, they were still losing.

Thomas—Tommy, as he preferred to be called, not being one to stand on ceremony—pressed his lips together, eyes skimming the knights and foot soldiers who had set upon them not long after they'd arrived to lend aid to one of their charges, Lady Camila, whose manor, Reus, had been attacked by mercenaries. It was obvious now that it had been set up to lure the king and his army into an ambush, something that just wasn't done in the Realm of Ubertas. True, there were no rules against it, but just the same, kingdoms did not hire mercenaries with no visible coat of arms to attack manors in other kingdoms. And attacking kingdoms most assuredly did not lie in wait in wooded areas, ready to pounce when the army of the defending kingdom's back was turned. It was considered cowardly by most, although Tommy just considered it smart strategy. He might have even been impressed if it hadn't been his kingdom's army on the receiving end.

Horse hooves pounded the ground behind him, alerting Tommy to danger. He jerked on Wild's reins, turning the horse around, even as he lifted his sword to block any incoming attacks. Metal clashed against metal as he stopped an enemy sword from slicing into him. He had the usual chain link armor on, but even armor had its weak areas.

Attack thwarted, Tommy let go of Wild's reins, trusting his warhorse to follow his foot and knee signals as he lifted his shield and surged forward, swinging his sword at his attacker. It took several minutes, but eventually he bested his opponent, watching with little satisfaction as the knight dropped from his horse and moaned, blood seeping out from under his chain mail and bubbling up from his mouth.

Regardless of his skill as a knight and his successes on the battlefield since being knighted, Tommy did not enjoy killing. It wasn't something that came easily to him, and he knew once it was all over, the men he'd killed that day would haunt his dreams. They always did.

A sharp cry of disbelief drew Tommy's attention and he whipped around in time to see an enemy soldier pull his sword out of Tommy's father, the king of Tousma. Their eyes met and Tommy's heart stopped for an instant at the flash of pain and regret in his father's eyes. Then everything sped up again and his father was falling from his horse, falling to the ground, mouth opening and closing, and while Tommy couldn't hear it, he knew his father was gasping for air, gasping his last breaths. Tommy had watched the same thing happen more times than he could count at the end of his own sword.

Without thought to his safety, Tommy urged Wild into action, racing over to where his father lay. Breaking one of the most important rules of combat—never willingly climb off your mount in the middle of a battlefield filled with enemies on horseback—Tommy slid from Wild's back and dropped to his knees in the grass.

"Father," Tommy said, voice choked.

King Ratliff looked at Tommy through pain-filled eyes. "Tommy. I-I am sorry. I should have heeded Lord Immerman's warning and awaited reinforcements."

They had been on their way back to Lootus—Tousma's stronghold and the royal family's home—after visiting Solvo, a nearby kingdom, when a runner from Reus had intercepted them. He had told them of the attack on Reus and had requested assistance.

Lord Immerman—David to Tommy since they were children—had scouted ahead and come back insisting that while the mercenaries attacking Reus seemed small enough in number that they could easily defeat them, his gut was telling him there was more going on than met the eye. He'd all but begged Tommy's father to wait for reinforcements and let him take a scouting party back to more thoroughly investigate in the meantime.

Tommy's father hadn't wanted to wait, though. They were a day out from Lootus yet, and since Reus was only a manor, not a castle, its defenses would not hold for long. He had felt they had enough of an army to head the attacking mercenaries off, since they had taken a rather large contingent with them to Solvo to discuss a possible alliance.

Although Solvo was a friendly kingdom, there was another they would have to pass along the way that was not. The Kingdom of Vox was known for its ruthlessness and its bloodthirsty king. It was Vox's coat of arms that the knights and foot soldiers who had ambushed them brandished.

Tommy shook his head. "No, Father. We had to come to Lady Camila's defense. We were honor-bound, trap or not."

"Aye," his father said, reaching for his chest with a shaky hand. "Help me with this, son."

Tommy looked down at his father's hand, which was wrapped around the medallion hanging from his neck.

Moisture filled Tommy's eyes and he blinked it away, shaking his head slowly. "No, Father. I-I cannot. Let me get you to the woods, to cover. Someone can see to you. You'll be alright."

"I won't," his father said, breath hitching in pain. "I am dying, Tommy. You know this. It is your time now."

Again Tommy shook his head, but when his father lifted the medallion and tried to take it off himself, Tommy reached out and helped him. He held the heavy metal of the medallion in his hand, staring at it, dumbstruck. He had not expected to be crowned like this. He had thought he had years with his father yet; years as the heir apparent. He was not ready.

"Yes you are," his father said, indicating Tommy must have spoken the last part without realizing. "I have watched you these last few years with great pride. You _are_ ready to lead our people. Believe in yourself, Thomas. It is your destiny."

Tommy stared at his father. His father only called him Thomas in times of anger or import.

Swallowing hard, Tommy said the words expected of him upon receiving the medallion of kingship. "I accept this as my due, and I shall shoulder the responsibility of caring for and protecting the people of Tousma, rich and poor alike."

His father smiled at him, a mix of love, pride and pain on his face. "Prince Thomas Joseph Ratliff, I hereby crown you King Thomas of Tousma. You are here forth honor bound to act in your people's best interest."

Tommy ducked his head and slipped the leather loop attached to the medallion over his helmet and around his neck, a weight much greater than that of the medallion settling on his slim shoulders. When Tommy lifted his head and looked at his father again, it was to find the light inside that made him who he was, gone.

Knowing now was not the time to mourn, Tommy choked back a sob and reached out with a shaking hand to close his father's eyes.

"Tommy! Look out!" Lord Pittman—Monte to Tommy since childhood—shouted, bringing Tommy instantly to his feet, sword in hand.

Tommy whipped around in time to see a knight on horseback bearing down on him. With a fury born of grief and loss, Tommy lashed out. Not even bothering with the knight, he instead thrust his sword into the horse. The horse reared, then collapsed to the ground, taking the knight with him. As the knight tried to scramble to his feet, Tommy attacked, running him through, too.

After that, the battle was a blur. Tommy fought everyone in his path, taking down knights and the lesser-trained foot soldiers in equal numbers. Rage and pain fueled him, drove him, as he shouted commands to his troops.

Fresh off his latest kill, Tommy looked up to see where Monte was and his heart stopped. A knight on foot was racing toward Monte from behind.

Tommy shouted, but Monte didn't hear him, didn't turn around. Tommy sprang into action, running for the enemy on foot. He intercepted him a second too late. The knight's sword sliced up under Monte's chain mail and pierced his side. Monte shouted in pain, even as Tommy tackled the enemy to the ground. It wasn't easy fighting someone in hand-to-hand combat while wearing chain mail and armor. As a result, all Tommy and the other man ended up doing to each other was rolling around in the grass, grappling for the upper hand.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy saw Monte drop from his horse, clutching his side with one hand and his sword with the other. Guessing at Monte's intent, Tommy allowed himself to be rolled on his back and pinned beneath the other knight. Suddenly, the knight froze above him, mouth opening on a soundless gasp an instant before he fell to the side, Monte's sword protruding from the back of his neck.

Monte yanked his sword free and fell to his knees on the grass, gasping. Tommy glanced at the fallen knight's sword and noted that only a small portion at the end had fresh blood on it, indicating Monte's wound might not be life threatening.

Air rushed from Tommy's lungs in relief. He could not bear losing two members of his family in one day. Looking around them and realizing they were close to the woods, he shouted for David, who had just killed a foot soldier nearby.

David hurried over and together they got Monte to the cover of the woods, dragging him through branches and underbrush until one of their men stepped into their path, silently gesturing for them to follow. They did and soon broke through to a clearing where various wounded were being tended to and loaded up on horseback when possible. Other more seriously wounded soldiers were being loaded onto carts pulled by horses.

Tommy and David lowered Monte to the ground and pulled Monte's helmet from his head. Monte's eyes immediately lit on the medallion around Tommy's neck.

"Your father is dead." It was not a question since Tommy would not have had the medallion otherwise.

Tommy's jaw clenched and he nodded anyway.

Monte reached up and touched the medallion. "I pledge my loyalty and service to you, My King."

The men around them that heard and those who were able, dropped to bended knee and echoed the oath.

Tommy pulled his helmet off and glanced at them as he said, "I accept and in return, pledge to protect the people and lands of Tousma."

The men went back to what they were doing and Tommy reached down, enclosing Monte's hand in his, squeezing tightly. Monte, while technically Tommy's uncle on his mother's side, was much more like an older brother. Only six years separated in age, Monte had come to live with Tommy and his parents when Monte was all of nine and Tommy was three, after Monte's parents—Tommy's grandparents—died of influenza.

There had even been talk of Tommy's father making Monte his heir to the throne when Tommy had gone through a rebellious period, refusing even the simplest of instructions. When Monte had heard of it, though, he'd gone to the king and refused, saying it was Tommy's birthright, not his, and to have faith in Tommy, that he'd outgrow his rebellion and would make a fine king in due time.

Tommy had been floored, and the bond the two shared had strengthened and grown into the kind of trust that was rare for a prince to find among his peers, what with the scheming and vying for power that was usual among the king's line. It had also served to bring Tommy to heel, wanting to be the man Monte thought him to be.

"Now that you're safe, I must get back to the battle. I shouldn't have left." Releasing Monte's hand, Tommy started to stand.

"Wait," Monte said, hand circling Tommy's wrist to stop him.

Tommy looked at the hand. Only Monte would dare something like that, especially now that Tommy was king. Meeting Monte's gaze, Tommy dropped back to one knee next to him and asked, "What is it?"

Monte nodded toward the medallion around Tommy's neck. "Allow me to pose as king."

Tommy tensed. "What?"

Monte met his gaze. "We're losing. You know this as well as I. They will make you a spoil of war. If we let them think I am king, I will be enslaved inside the castle where they can show me off to visitors. You can work from this end," Monte said. "Gather what troops escape and secure allies who would see Vox fall. You may even be able to persuade Solvo to join us. The talks of alliance went well when we were there, as you know."

"Monte—" Tommy started.

"You can organize them and come up with a strategy," Monte continued as if Tommy hadn't spoken. "And when it's time, you can find a way to get word to me. Meanwhile, I'll be the perfect slave; I'll earn their trust and lull them into complacence, and when I get word from you, I'll find the means to kill the members of the royal family old enough to take the throne while they sleep. That will throw the castle into chaos and in the midst of it, you and your men will strike and take them down."

Tommy considered. "It is a good plan. A very good plan." Monte took a deep breath, making as if to push up off the ground. Tommy pressed a hand to his chest, pushing him back down as he added, "With one exception."

Monte tensed. "What's that?"

Tone brooking no argument, Tommy said, "They will take _me_ as the spoil of war, as it should be. I am king, not you, and you are wounded besides. Not to mention you have children and a wife to consider."

Monte looked like he wanted to argue, but Tommy knew he wouldn't, not in front of the other men. It would be tantamount to calling Tommy's authority into question, something they could ill afford just then.

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Tommy's jaw tightened, recognizing the cool tone and formal address for what they were. Monte was angry with him. That was too bad. He wasn't going to let Monte sacrifice himself while Tommy hid in the woods, avoiding the fate that should be his.

Turning to David, Tommy said, "Ride back to Lootus. Provided it hasn't been set upon by more troops, make the announcement that we are about to fall. Give the order to hide as much of our supplies as possible. There are many hidden chambers in the castle and its surroundings that will be hard to ferret out, as you well know. Isaac is to be put in charge until the troops return and Monte can take over. Then find Lisa and Monte's children and tell them that upon my orders, they are to pose as villagers. Under no circumstances are they or anyone else to acknowledge their status as members of the royal family."

It was custom to take the king as a spoil of war and make him a slave to parade in front of the entire kingdom, both to boast victory and to break the spirits of the fallen kingdom. The royal family, however, were systematically executed in order to discourage revolts.

David nodded and stood. Tommy picked up his helmet and rose to his feet also.

Reaching out, he laid a hand on David's armor-clad shoulder and said, "Also, tell our people that despite appearances, I am not giving up on them. I will look for a way to save us all until my dying breath."

David hesitated, then reached out, pulling Tommy into a fierce embrace. Tommy allowed himself to hug him back for a moment, not caring one bit how un-king-like the action was. David was one of his oldest, most trusted friends along with Monte and Isaac—who had stayed behind to guard the castle in their absence—and this might be the last time he saw him.

Eventually they pulled apart and Tommy took a deep breath, turning back the way he'd come. He stopped short, finding Monte standing in his path, and a second later, he was pulled into another embrace. He held on tight, and when Monte whispered against his ear to please reconsider, Tommy refused and told Monte to take care of his wife and children.

When they pulled apart, Tommy looked around at the men surrounding them and said as loudly as he dared, "I am naming Lord Monte Pittman Chieftain of Tousma, in charge of all affairs of the kingdom in my absence. He will lead and organize the revolt, and all of you are to follow his command as if it was my own."

"Aye, Your Highness," was the resounding response.

Satisfied, Tommy took one last look around him, put his helmet back on, and started back for the battlefield and the fate awaiting him.

Tommy jumped back into the fray, fighting for all he was worth in a last ditch effort to stave off the inevitable, slashing and jabbing and dodging sword and arrow alike. He was holding his own when one of his men shouted to him to watch behind him. Tommy whipped around, lifting his sword instinctively, just in time to block a downward thrust that would have been sure to severe his spine had his reflexes not been so fast. Instead, he found himself staring into blue eyes attached to a man several inches taller than him. Judging by the royal crest carved into his shield and helmet, Tommy assumed he was one of the princes of Vox.

For a long moment, they stood suspended in time, swords blocking each other, eyes locked, until someone nearby shouted, "Prince Adam! He is the king!"

Prince Adam's eyes dropped from Tommy's to his neck. Tommy waited as the prince inspected the medallion hanging from it, and after a tense moment, Prince Adam's eyes returned to his.

"You are the king? I was told he was an old man."

Tommy tensed. "He was. He died at one of your men's hands on this very field."

Prince Adam studied him for a long moment, then said, "You are losing, as I'm sure you are well aware. Surrender now and lives will be spared."

Even though this was the plan he and Monte had set in motion in the woods, it was still a hard lot to swallow, and so it took Tommy a moment spent wrestling with the urge—the instinct—to fight, before he was able to make himself do what needed to be done.

Without a word, he dropped his sword and slid to his knees, bowing his head in surrender.

Above him, the prince was silent for a moment, then shouted to someone nearby, "Sound the horn! The king has surrendered!"

Tommy cringed as the horn blew and the sounds of battle dwindled to nothing. He could feel all eyes on him and wished for a split second to be beheaded then and there and spared the shame of surrender, let alone the betrayal he was sure to see in his men's eyes, given they had not been privy to Tommy's announcement in the woods and therefore did not know this wasn't a true surrender, that it was just a ploy on par with Vox's ploy to ambush them.

To Tommy, Prince Adam ordered, "Remove your helmet."

Slowly, Tommy reached up and pulled it off his head, his long blond hair swirling around his shoulders and falling in his face as his head remained bowed.

"Look up at me," the prince ordered.

Reluctantly, Tommy looked up and met Prince Adam's penetrating gaze.

"I need the words, King…"

"Thomas Joseph," Tommy supplied, refusing to give the prince leave to use his more common name.

Prince Adam nodded. "I need the words, King Thomas Joseph Ratliff. Do you surrender and place yourself and your kingdom at the mercy of King Gregory Lambert of Vox?"

Tommy swallowed, gathered his courage, and said loudly so as to be heard by all near them, as was necessary, "I do."

"Where are the rest of the members of the royal family?" Prince Adam asked.

This was where things became tricky, Tommy knew. He trusted in the loyalty of his men, but at the same time, he knew they must feel betrayed. He just hoped they recognized what Tommy was about to do as a sign that there was more going on than met the eye.

"I was King Ronald Ratliff's only child. There are no other members in line for the throne."

Prince Adam frowned. "I had heard there was a brother-in-law."

Tommy nodded. He'd hoped they hadn't had even that information, but given they did, he'd have to at least acknowledge it. "There was. He also died in battle today."

"And his wife and children?"

Tommy tensed, dismayed that Prince Adam had so much information. "They died of influenza this past winter. It ravaged our kingdom." Something that was true enough, except that Lisa and the children had all miraculously recovered instead of succumbing like many others had.

Prince Adam looked up at the surrounding warriors and picked one from Tommy's kingdom at random. "You. Answer me truthfully and you will not be enslaved like the others. You will be free to go. Does your former king speak the truth?"

The knight nodded. "He does. It was tragic, and I believe part of the reason Lord Monte didn't survive the afternoon. He had lost the will to live."

Tommy fought against the urge to exhale in relief. Hopefully the lies he'd just told had given his men the inkling that something was in the works and would therefore follow the knight's example.

"Very well," Prince Adam said, "You may take your horse and leave." Turning to Tommy, Prince Adam said, "King Gregory is on his way back to Erus to see to an urgent matter. You will formally surrender to him there."

Prince Adam reached down and gripped the medallion around Tommy's neck. Carefully, he lifted it over Tommy's head and secured it to his belt, leaving it to hang there. Turning on his heel, Prince Adam motioned for a couple of soldiers to step forward. "Prepare him for the journey."

Tommy stood and suffered the humiliation of being stripped of his armor and padding right on the battlefield, leaving him in nothing but a linen shirt and pants. Then his hands and feet were bound with lengths of rough rope and he was summarily tossed onto the back of a horse on his stomach. His arms and legs were left dangling on either side, secured to each other under its belly, rendering him helpless, his humiliation complete. He wouldn't even be allowed to march to his fate with the others.

He was left like that for the better part of two hours while the rest of his men were stripped of their weapons and armor and tied together in rows for the march to Erus. Tommy's feet and hands were nearly numb by the time the reins of the horse he was on were picked up by none other than Prince Adam himself. Tommy risked a look at the man, and was disconcerted by the sympathy in the prince's blue eyes. It was gone in a flash, though, hidden behind an inscrutable expression that left Tommy wondering if he'd imagined it.

What Tommy wasn't imagining, though, as they started down the path, was the way he bumped and bounced along on the hard saddle, the saddle horn digging into his side every time he was jostled about. He gritted his teeth, dropping his head to one outstretched arm as he tried to relax into the horse's gait, knowing even so he would be sore and bruised by the time they arrived at the castle and he was made to face whatever fate awaited him.

  


It was late afternoon when they halted to eat. Tommy fully expected to be left where he was and not fed. He'd heard rumors of Vox's king, of course, of how cruel he could be. It followed that his nephews would be like that too—King Eber, the princes' father, had died some years back and their mother in child birth before that, leaving the throne to Eber's brother, Gregory—so it surprised Tommy when he found himself cut loose of the rope connecting his hands to his feet, and yanked off the horse's back.

Tommy's feet hit the ground much too fast. After hours of lying half upside down, dizziness washed over him and his legs and feet—half numb from the position he'd laid in, along with the too-tight bindings—gave out. He felt himself falling, but before he could crumple to the ground, a hand was at his waist, pulling him in, pulling him up, holding him close.

Tommy looked up and found himself staring into Prince Adam's inscrutable face. The prince stared down at him for a moment before asking, "Can you stand now?"

Tommy wanted to be able to say yes, but knew he'd just collapse again if Prince Adam let go. "My feet are numb and I can only half feel my legs."

Prince Adam's expression darkened and he cursed. Without warning, the prince bent and hoisted Tommy up over his shoulder, carrying him away from the horse. Tommy gasped in surprise, then grunted as he was dumped on his backside at the base of a tree. Even more surprising, Prince Adam then knelt at his feet and began working the bindings around his ankles free.

"I told those lackwits not to tie them too tight," Prince Adam grumbled.

Tommy's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "I assumed that was on purpose."

Prince Adam snorted. "I'm glad you have such a high opinion of me."

Tommy blinked at him incredulously. "And I'm what? Meant to sing your praises? I was just forced to surrender my kingdom to yours."

Prince Adam paused in untying the knot at Tommy's ankles and shot him a sharp look. "You forget you are no longer a king but a slave. You'd do well to adjust your speech accordingly."

Tommy's cheeks heated at the reminder, even as his eyes narrowed at the censure. He knew he should beg forgiveness, but just then he couldn't bring himself to. Pressing his lips tightly together, he just barely held his tongue.

Prince Adam nodded his head, obviously sensing Tommy's struggle, and said, "Good choice, but fair warning. Speak like that in front of the king and you'll find yourself on the wrong end of a whip."

Tommy just huffed in response and looked away, although he took the warning to heart. He was going to have to find a way to set aside everything he'd learned about how to act, how to think. As far as the Kingdom of Vox was concerned, he was a slave now, even if it was a ruse. He needed to remember that.

Prince Adam went back to working the knot free, and at last Tommy felt circulation begin to flow back into his feet. He gasped in relief and laid his head back against the trunk of the tree.

Quietly, he asked, "Any hope you'll free my wrists, too?" His hands had long since turned purple.

For a moment, Prince Adam looked like he wasn't going to so much as respond to the request, but then he motioned for Tommy to hold his hands out. When Tommy did, he went to work on the knot there as well.

Tommy sighed in relief as his hands were freed, letting them fall to his sides.

Prince Adam studied him for a long moment before saying, "If you try to run, we will hunt you down."

Tommy met Prince Adam's intent gaze and said, "I would never abandon my people. I have no intention of running."

"They are no longer your people. They are slaves of Vox, just as you are."

Tommy's jaw tightened and after a moment he responded, "Be that as it may, it will take more than a few hours slung over the back of a horse for me to think of them that way, and even then I wouldn't ask them to suffer a fate I'm not prepared to suffer myself."

Prince Adam stared hard at him before his features relaxed and he nodded. Standing, he indicated some bushes to the side. "Use those to relieve yourself if need be. I will send someone over with food when it's prepared."

"Thank you," Tommy said, meaning it.

Prince Adam didn't respond, merely turned and walked away, leaving Tommy on his own.

  


When it was time to set out again, Tommy expected to be bound by one of the knights milling around, but instead it was Prince Adam himself who walked over with two lengths of rope and bound him, hand and foot, securely enough to prevent his escape should he try, but not so securely that it cut off his circulation like before.

Jaw tight for reasons Tommy couldn't fathom, Prince Adam then stood and pulled Tommy to his feet, again slinging him over his shoulder. It was disconcerting how little effort it took for Prince Adam to pick him up. Tommy knew he wasn't a large man—he had long ago given up on one last growth spurt to shoot him up to a reasonable height or at least allow him to fill out like Monte had—but at the same time, he wasn't used to being manhandled by another man the way Prince Adam was manhandling him. Most of his friends were his size or only slightly bigger with the exception of David, who was nearly Prince Adam's height, but lacked his broad build and bulk. David wasn't weak by any means, but the thought of him slinging Tommy over his narrow shoulder and carting him off would have been amusing if Tommy hadn't thought of it while being prepared to be taken to see his new king … and as a slave, no less.

When they reached the horse, Prince Adam set Tommy on his feet briefly, then spanned his waist with two hands and hoisted him up, dumping him on his stomach once again. Just like before, his legs were tied to his arms under the belly of the horse and Tommy tried not to think about what would happen to him if the horse stepped into a hole and broke a leg, or worse, reared up or took off in fright, all real dangers when traveling a wooded road as dusk approached.

Steeling himself against the morbid thoughts, Tommy watched as Prince Adam bent over his hands, tying the rope from his ankles. Now that his helmet was off, Tommy could see that Prince Adam had long, black hair, which was secured with a length of leather at the nape of his neck, a common practice among knights. Tommy's own blond hair was long enough to do the same with, but he'd never liked the feel of his hair tied back in that manner.

Clearing his throat as Prince Adam finished and straightened, Tommy looked up at him through the curtain of hair in his face due to his position, and asked, "Will we reach Erus before nightfall? Or will we be making camp along the way?"

"Hoping to delay your official surrender to the king by a day?" Prince Adam asked, a note of disdain in his voice. Whether that was directed at Tommy or King Gregory, though, Tommy couldn't hazard a guess.

"No, actually," Tommy said. "I'd rather this be over sooner than later."

Prince Adam blinked at that. "We will be there by nightfall. Before, most likely."

  


True to Prince Adam's word, they arrived before nightfall. Not by much, but by enough. They crossed the drawbridge and halted just inside the outer wall. Tommy lifted his head and tried to see what was going on, but in his current position, he couldn't see much.

Moments later, Tommy felt a tug on the rope connecting his arms and legs, and then the newly cut end was slithering to the ground under the horse, still attached to his wrists. He felt another tug and then his ankles were cut loose too, freeing his feet. Abruptly, he was yanked off the back of the horse by the leather belt around his waist, and found himself pressed back to chest against someone behind him, an arm around his waist to steady him. Tommy twisted to look and found it was Prince Adam who had him again.

"Are your legs and feet numb, or can you stand?"

"I can stand," Tommy replied.

Prince Adam scowled. "You can stand … what?"

Tommy's face heated as he realized what Prince Adam was waiting for. Although he'd love to be angered by it, would love to curse Prince Adam as an arrogant asshole for pointing it out and making him say it, there wasn't a hint of arrogance in Prince Adam's voice or in his expression. Between that reminder and the ones earlier—about the men not being his anymore, but being slaves of Vox instead, and the warning about how to talk to the king—Tommy was shocked to realize that Prince Adam seemed to be trying to help him. It was preposterous to think that the prince would give a damn, but there it was.

That in mind, Tommy swallowed and prepared himself to address Prince Adam in the manner he'd only ever previously addressed his parents and the sovereign of Ubertas the one time he'd met him before he died. He had yet to meet the new sovereign.

It wasn't that Tommy was hung up on titles; he wasn't. And it wasn't that he was arrogant himself or considered himself better than anyone; he didn't. Slavery had been abolished in Tousma the very year the new sovereign had decreed it legal for any kingdom within its borders to do so that wished it. In point of fact, Tommy had asked for and been given the task by his father to bring about the changes needed to accommodate a kingdom suddenly free of slavery. It hadn't been an easy transition, but it had been worth it. The idea that anyone could own someone else had never sat well with Tommy.

And therein lay the problem. He didn't believe anyone had the right to own anyone else, so finding himself in a position where others believed they owned him, where they believed that they could dictate what he did or didn't say, what he did or didn't do, whether he even continued to draw breath or whether he ceased and turned to ash… It was untenable. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He was at their mercy.

"I can stand, My Lord," Tommy said, voice subdued as heat suffused his face.

Prince Adam's lips pressed together, as though he didn't like the idea that he was now Tommy's better, one of Tommy's _owners_ , any more than Tommy did … but that made no sense whatsoever. After all that Tommy had heard about the ruthlessness of the Kingdom of Vox, he found it hard to believe anything he was sensing from Prince Adam. The man was a veritable mystery.

"Very well," Prince Adam said after a moment, his arm sliding away from Tommy's waist.

Once Tommy stepped away, Prince Adam grabbed the length of rope still attached to his wrist bindings and tugged on it. "Come along, slave. It's time to meet the king."

Tommy stumbled forward as Prince Adam started off. He had to hurry to keep up with the prince's long strides but he managed, in spite of the ache in his arms and legs and the pain in his ribs from the constant jostling about in the saddle. He was certain that if he checked, there would already be bruises scattered down along his side.

Up through the courtyard they walked, while on each side of the pathway, soldiers who had been left behind to guard the castle and commoners who lived inside the castle walls cheered as Tommy was paraded past. Risking his footing, Tommy chanced a glance behind him and found that his men were being marched in behind him in two lines, still attached by lengths of rope and guarded by knights on horseback with spears and swords.

His stomach sank at the defeat on their faces, and at the betrayal in some of their eyes when they met his. He wished he could explain, wished somehow all of this wasn't happening; not for his sake, but for theirs. Most of them had families back in Tousma that were now lost to them, left to fend for themselves.

According to the Realm of Ubertas' dictates, the subjects of Tousma would not be enslaved. Instead, Lootus would become a holding and the inhabitants of it and the rest of the kingdom would become subjects of Vox. Further, the soldiers that had been left behind to guard Lootus would be given the option to swear their fealty to King Gregory and the Kingdom of Vox. If they did not, the ones with land would be stripped of it, and they would be turned out of the kingdom and left to find another kingdom to pledge for, or to become mercenaries—knights for hire.

In this case, though, Tommy knew Monte would be lying in wait for the ones that refused to pledge, looking to recruit them for the revolt. Tommy hoped as many as possible refused the pledge. Judging by the overwhelming number of Vox's soldiers crowded into the yard, they were going to need all the help they could get if their plan was to be a success.

Finally, they were through the throng of people. Tommy followed Prince Adam into the keep and through a set of doors that led to what appeared to be the castle's great hall. Here, he assumed, was where he'd be formally presented to the king.

Prince Adam jerked on Tommy's rope and Tommy realized he was dragging his feet. He'd meant it earlier when he said he'd rather this be over sooner than later, but that didn't change the fact that he was dreading it, too. Jaw clenched, he picked up the pace as they crossed the large, stone room richly decorated with tapestries and sconces.

Prince Adam came to a halt before the throne that sat at one end and Tommy stopped behind him. A horn blasted and all within the walls of the great hall fell silent.

Voice loud and clear, Prince Adam said to the man sitting on the throne, "King Gregory Salvatore Lambert. I present to you this spoil of war, Thomas Joseph Ratliff, king of Tousma until his surrender earlier this day."

With that, Prince Adam stepped aside, grabbed Tommy by the back of his neck, and shoved him forward hard enough that Tommy fell to his knees. He winced as his kneecaps collided with the stone floor and had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from crying out. He resisted the urge to glare at Prince Adam, wondering how he ever could have entertained the idea that Prince Adam was anything other than he was—an entitled, cruel prince on par with the king. Instead, Tommy kept his head down and his bound fists clenched as he awaited King Gregory's response.

"Thomas Joseph Ratliff. Look at me."

Reluctantly, Tommy looked up, and stared into the face of the man who had brought about the death of his father and the downfall of his kingdom. Immediately, a surge of rage welled up inside him and he had to restrain himself from leaping to his feet and attacking the man where he sat on his throne.

"Do you, in fact, surrender your crown, your people and your land to me, as Prince Adam has said?"

It very nearly made Tommy sick as he responded, "Yes, Your Highness, I do, and I ask only that you be fair and merciful in deciding our fates."

If there hadn't been a plan to overthrow the kingdom in place, Tommy's response would have been much, much different.

Solemnly, King Gregory nodded, although Tommy didn't miss the glint in his eyes that spoke to the fact that he was enjoying this immensely. "Of course. I accept your surrender." Looking to Prince Adam, King Gregory asked, "And the medallion?"

Prince Adam unhooked it from his belt and stepped up to the throne, presenting it to the king. King Gregory took it and stood, stepping around the throne to a set of artfully arranged carved hooks attached to the wall behind him. There, he hung the medallion next to three others like it. Two of them, Tommy knew from stories he'd been told, were very old, from before Tommy's time. The other one, though, had been from a kingdom that had dared take on Vox. They had failed miserably, and word had it their king lasted only a very short time as a spoil of war before he was put to death for his refusal to subjugate himself.

Tommy needed to remember not to make that mistake. He was all the hope his people had. No matter how many soldiers Monte managed to recruit, they needed the royal family of Vox dead and the kingdom in chaos if they had any chance of success.

Returning to his seat, the king said with obvious relish, "You are hereby stripped of your crown and your freedom and made the lowest of slaves. You shall be presented to all who live in the castle and to all who visit it as an example of Vox's great strength and success. To that end, you will work in the kitchens and you are to serve evening meals to the royal table."

Tommy's fists clenched, but he didn't protest, knowing his assignment could have been worse. Much worse. This put him in the greatest visibility, though, and apparently that was what mattered most to this king.

Looking away from Tommy, the king motioned someone over and said, "Cut off his hair."

Tommy's gut clenched. He'd forgotten about this part. Nobility wore their hair long, past their shoulders, and commoners wore their hair just above shoulder length. All slaves, however, wore their hair short or shaved, both because their living conditions were such that they were in close quarters and it kept down on the lice population, and as a way of distinguishing them from freemen and freewomen. A spoil of war, however, was further set apart and humiliated by being made to wear their hair short everywhere save one swath that was left to fall ear length, as a sign of the royalty that had been stripped of them. It served to make them stand out, to set them apart both from nobility and from the other slaves, ensuring that they were never accepted by either. Where that swath was left was at the discretion of the conquering king.

"Where would you like the swath left, King Gregory?" The man who stepped forward with scissors in hand asked.

The king studied Tommy for a long moment, then finally said, "In the front, I should think, so that it's always falling in his eyes as he works, reminding him of all he's lost."

Tommy had to fight hard not to let what he thought of the king show on his face. The typical place to leave the swath was at the back of the head, where it was out of the way of work. He should have guessed by the king's reputation that he wouldn't show him that kindness.

The cruel curl of the king's lips as he stared Tommy down, though, told Tommy he knew exactly how he felt about the decree.

Tommy didn't break eye contact with the king even once as the servant cut his hair close to his scalp all the way around his head save for the fringe left in front to fall over one eye. He ended the king a hundred different ways in the time it took his locks to be shorn away. It was the first time he'd every truly felt bloodlust and he welcomed it. It was going to make murdering the bastard in his sleep that much easier.

After the last of his blond hair fell to the ground and was swept away, the man who had cut it flicked one of Tommy's pierced earlobes and asked, "What should I do with these? Rip them out?"

Tommy's gut clenched at the thought, but he schooled his features to that of indifference.

The king considered, then asked, "What did these piercings mean in your former kingdom, slave?"

Piercings were common across the kingdoms. However, their meaning varied from land to land.

"They signify the number of major battles I have participated in and won for my kingdom," Tommy said, unable to keep the note of pride out of his voice. To hell with it if he got them ripped out for it.

The king's eyes widened in surprise, and then disbelief. He threw back his head and laughed before saying, "You expect me to believe that you, as slight of build as you are, are a storied warrior with how many? Seven—no make that nine with that double piercing near the top of one—wins to your name?"

Tommy stiffened. His ability was questioned all the time by those who had not seen him in action, but it didn't make it any easier to take. It was the bane of his existence, being underestimated and dismissed due to his build.

"It's true, Your Highness. And the number is seven. The two near the top on my right ear are for the loss of my sister and mother during childbirth."

Dying in child birth was considered a death worthy of a warrior in the realm since pregnancies were rife with risk. The men in his kingdom had always felt it important to remember their sacrifice. Even though both babies had also been lost, it didn’t change the fact that Tommy's mom and sister had died heroes. Even King Gregory wouldn't dishonor that by having those ripped out, so Tommy knew those two, at least, were safe.

"I have a difficult time believing your story, slave. I cannot imagine you besting a mouse, quite frankly."

Guffaws rose around the room, but before Tommy could respond, Prince Adam spoke up.

"If I may, Uncle?"

King Gregory looked at him and nodded.

"I observed him in battle before I engaged him. He is a formidable opponent. He felled three of our men in record time before my very eyes, which was why I deigned to take him by surprise, rather than face him head on, and still he was able to thwart my attack."

Tommy blinked at the unexpected praise, but wisely kept his mouth shut, waiting for the king to decide for himself.

The king turned to a foot soldier and said, "Find someone out in the courtyard from his kingdom who cannot hear us and ask them what the piercings are for."

They waited for long minutes as the soldier ran off to do the king's bidding. Tommy tried not to fidget too much, although his knees were starting to hurt badly from kneeling for so long on the unforgiving stone.

Finally, the soldier rushed back in and said, "Aye, Your Highness. The slave tells the truth."

King Gregory nodded. "Very well. Leave the piercings. They will further show our prowess, having taken down such a formidable opponent and kingdom, considering his victories are their victories." Turning to a couple of soldiers, King Gregory said, "Take the spoil of war to his quarters and secure him for the night."

Tommy exhaled quietly in relief. He hadn't been looking forward to the blinding pain he was sure would accompany having seven piercings ripped out of his lobes.

Moments later, after being allowed to relieve himself, he was shown to the slave quarters just off the kitchens. One of his ankles was secured to a bolt in the wall next to the pallet he'd been given to sleep on, and then he was finally left to himself with the other slaves who had already turned in for the night.

The guards who'd escorted him there left the room, taking the only source of light—a torch—with them, enclosing Tommy in an all-encompassing darkness. He could hear that he wasn't alone—sounds of rustling fabric as people moved, sniffing sounds from some, throat clearing from others—but suddenly, in spite of that, Tommy felt well and truly alone. Everything he knew and loved—every _one_ —was either gone or so far out of his grasp he doubted just then that he'd ever see any of them again.

Coupled with the loss of his father still not even a day past and Tommy felt himself starting to break down. Mortified, he tried to stop the tears, tried to blink them away. Men didn't cry, let alone the king of a nation of men. But then, as far as Vox was concerned, he wasn't king anymore, was he? He wasn't even a freeman. No matter that the surrender was a ruse, no matter that they had a plan that both he and Monte had their parts in and this was his, the simple fact was that in the eyes of everyone in Vox, Tommy was now a slave, his medallion on display for all to see.

Tousma was no more.

His _father_ was no more.

It was that thought, that startled realization in the blackness of the night, that caused the dam to break. Tommy curled in on himself, the chain connecting his shackle to the wall rattling with the movement, and pressed his fist to his mouth to stop any noise coming out as tears streamed down his face, wetting his cheeks and the pallet below his head.

Exhaustion took him sometime later and he fell into a troubled, restless sleep made worse by the bruises littering his body and the stifling heat of a poorly ventilated room with too many people crammed inside it.


	2. Chapter 2

A kick to already sore ribs woke Tommy. He curled in on himself and moaned in pain as a gruff voice above him said, "Get up, slave. It's time to prepare the morning meal."

With a weary sigh, Tommy opened dry, scratchy eyes that were slightly swollen from crying himself to sleep and found that his ankle had been released from the shackle. Not all slaves wore a shackle to bed, but he wasn't surprised he'd been made to, given who he was and that his status as a slave was new. As he got to his feet, he realized that he'd either need to find a way to earn the guard's trust enough to convince him to leave him unshackled at night, or he'd have to find something to pick the lock with so he could move freely once Monte got word to him it was time.

Coarse fabric was thrust at Tommy and he was told to change. He looked around for a changing screen, only to discover there wasn't one. With the guard watching, Tommy quickly changed out of his soft, linen shirt and pants, and into a rough, scratchy tunic that fell to his knees. Since it was summer and the sun shone hot in the sky, he was also given short underpants that cinched at the waist with a cord instead of full-length pants like he'd had to wear under his armor.

Reluctantly, Tommy handed over his softer, more comfortable clothing, only to be told to hand over his leather belt, too. A crude fabric belt was thrust at him in return and Tommy secured it around his tunic at his waist, trying not to morn the loss of his clothing as his skin began to itch from the coarse fabric.

Silently, Tommy followed the guard out of the slave quarters, other slaves falling in line behind him. When they reached the kitchens, the guard turned Tommy over to a woman named Beth Anne. She was also a slave, and was at least ten years older than Tommy's twenty-three, although the weary lines of her face made her seem much older than that. She was thin—too thin in Tommy's opinion—and the only facial expression she seemed to wear was a frown. She put Tommy to work building the fires while others kneaded bread for baking.

Tommy got the fires in the ovens going and hauled in wood until Beth Anne pulled him away to peel potatoes, and then carrots. She kept him busy enough that time passed fairly quickly, until finally the morning meal was served. Thankfully, Tommy had only been ordered by the king to serve the evening meal, so he stayed behind and stoked the fires, getting them ready for the afternoon baking.

Once everyone in the great hall had been fed, he was told to grab a bowl of oats and find somewhere to sit and eat. He did so, expecting them to taste somewhat like the oats he'd been served in Tousma. He was sorely disappointed. Instead of tasting like honey and a hint of cinnamon, they tasted like paste.

The expression on his face must have revealed his disgust because one of the other slaves laughed at his expression, then explained that honey and spices were not wasted on slaves, and furthermore, to expect the oats to always be overcooked since they were merely the leftovers that weren't flavored and eaten by those in the great hall. Wonderful.

The rest of the day went much the same, with Beth Anne dictating orders to him and the other slaves. The kitchens were clearly hers to command and everything ran smoothly. Tommy ate day old bread and stew leftovers that had been scraped up from the bottom of the pot for lunch, then helped with cleanup as the things needed to prepare dinner were brought out.

Tommy had never realized how grueling and intensive working in the kitchens could be. By the time the evening meal rolled around, he was exhausted. Unfortunately, that was the meal he'd been ordered to serve to the royal table.

When it was time, he carried out an armful of plates and bowls and passed them around while other servants came behind him with steaming bowls and platters of food. Tommy announced each item as it was placed on the table, carefully avoiding looking any of the royal family in the eye. He didn't miss the fact that Prince Adam was there, though, along with who Tommy presumed to be Prince Neil.

Unexpectedly, Prince Neil had a wife, Princess Jenifer. They had a daughter together and another child on the way. Tommy hadn't been aware of any of that until that afternoon in the kitchens when a couple of slave girls had started gossiping about whether Princess Jenifer was going to have a boy or a girl. He wouldn't have to kill the child since children couldn't take the throne, but theoretically Princess Jenifer could in the children's stead until the oldest was of age. Tommy knew, though, that he wouldn't be able to bring himself to kill her or her daughter. When the time came, he would just have to bind them and stash them somewhere until he and his men managed to take the castle and the throne themselves.

There was another man there as well, a man several years younger than Tommy. In spite of the large age difference, it became clear fairly quickly that the man was King Gregory's husband. Tommy had seen him sitting next to the king the day before, but so much had been happening at the time that the man's status hadn't occurred to him.

Once all the food was on the table, Tommy clenched his teeth and bowed, then turned to leave, only to be brought up short by a hand circling his wrist.

"Where do you think you're going, slave?" King Gregory asked.

A biting remark was on Tommy's tongue, but just then his eyes skimmed past Prince Adam and he remembered his warning from the day before.

Schooling his face into a proper expression for a slave, Tommy said, "I apologize, Your Highness. I thought I was done here, so I was headed back to the kitchens to see where I'm needed."

The king looked almost disappointed with Tommy's show of pseudo respect. "You are not done here until I dismiss you. On your knees."

Tommy frowned in confusion. "Your Highness?"

The king released his wrist and pointed to the floor between his chair and Adam's. "On your knees. Now."

Body tense from the humiliation of being made to kneel in front of everyone in the great hall, Tommy sank to his knees, clasping his hands behind his back like he'd seen other slaves do that were made to kneel for various reasons.

"Adam, feed him a sample of everything on the table."

"Uncle?"

King Gregory snorted. "You think I trust a former king one day out from being conquered to _not_ poison us? From now on, he is to taste test everything in front of us and you are to see to it that it's done by your own hand. I won't have him pulling a sleight-of-hand."

"Yes, Uncle," Prince Adam said.

Tommy knew for a fact that he hadn't poisoned the food, so he was more than happy to take the bites offered him, even if it made his face burn to be hand fed by Prince Adam as if he was a child.

Spoonful by spoonful and forkful by forkful, he was fed a bite of everything on the table, opening his mouth greedily as Prince Adam brought the food to it. Once everything had been tasted and he didn't drop dead, the king dismissed him.

With one last look at Prince Adam, who was looking everywhere but at him, Tommy got to his feet and made his way back to the kitchens, belly well on its way to being full. There was something to be said for the royal family wanting two of everything at their table and a king's paranoia. At least he'd get one decent meal a day.

Tommy was just finishing his duties in the kitchens when one of the castle guards appeared in the doorway and ordered him to come with him. Tommy groaned under his breath as he followed the man. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed roll in the slave quarters and go to sleep. Unfortunately, it appeared that wasn't to be the case, considering the guard was leading him back to the great hall where there seemed to be a party in full swing.

Of course. A victory party. And being the spoil of war, Tommy guessed he was to be put on display for it.

He wasn't disappointed. The guard marched him over to the throne, where the king had taken up residence, his husband on the left, Prince Adam and Prince Neil on the right, and Princess Jenifer sitting next to them.

Tommy stood and waited while the king looked him over. Eventually, the king pointed to a cushion on the floor at his feet and ordered, "Kneel, facing the room."

"Yes, Your Highness," Tommy said, every word like acid in his mouth.

He knelt and sat back on his heels, preparing himself for a long night. He just hoped he didn't nod off sitting up. He was fairly sure there'd be consequences for that.

Trying to alleviate his boredom, Tommy watched the party unfold as soldiers, noblemen and common folk alike danced and laughed and had fun. In an alcove over the entrance to the great hall, a group of minstrels played instruments, providing the music to dance to. Slaves walked around the main floor, refilling drinks and deftly avoiding wandering hands. It wasn't long before Prince Adam, Prince Neil and Princess Jenifer joined in, melting into the crowd to dance.

Suddenly, Tommy felt a poke to his backside and turned to find the king smirking at him, his staff in hand. With one end, he indicated his cup sitting on a short table next to his throne.

"Refill my drink, slave."

Tommy clenched his jaw. The carafe with more wine in it was sitting right next to his goblet. There was no reason he couldn't do it himself. No reason, except for the fact that King Gregory wanted to humiliate him by making Tommy serve him in front of everyone.

Rising to his feet, Tommy said, "Yes, Your Highness."

Tommy grabbed the carafe, but just as he was about to pour, the king shook his head and pointed his staff at the floor. "On your knees."

Tommy barely resisted the urge to grab King Gregory's staff and shove it up his ass. Instead, he dropped to his knees as ordered and filled the goblet.

When Tommy was through, the king swept his hand to each side. "My husband's too, and the others. They will be thirsty when they get back." Tommy started to rise, but King Gregory added sharply, "Without getting up from your knees."

Humiliation burned Tommy's cheeks as he shuffled across the floor on his knees, first to the king's husband, then to the other side, topping off both princes' and the princess's goblets before returning the carafe to the table next to the king. By the time Tommy returned to his mat, his knees ached.

After repeating the mantra several times in his head that it would all be worth it in the end when he laid waste to the royal family, Tommy went back to watching the party, noting that it was very similar to Tousma's victory parties. The more the drink flowed, the more rowdy the people became. Soldiers became boastful of their skills and devolved into arm wrestling contests and mock battles to prove it, while others started games that matched wit against wit.

Mostly, though, the party took on a decidedly sexual tone, with some couples wandering off to find quiet corners engulfed in shadows, while others who were bolder groped and kissed right in the middle of the room as they danced to the lively music. Something that was decidedly _not_ like the parties in Tousma, though, was how certain groups of people throughout the great hall began moving articles of clothing aside or dropping them completely and having sex right there in the open.

Tommy tensed in surprise at so much skin showing in public, only to be poked in the backside again. He turned and found the king laughing at him.

"They did not have public sex in Tousma, I assume?"

"No, Your Highness, they did not," Tommy said. "Sex was kept behind closed doors."

The king threw back his head and laughed. "If I didn't know better, I would think you a blushing virgin."

Tommy tensed at that and said tightly, "I am no virgin, Your Highness. I've just never witnessed anything like it. It's a bit … disconcerting."

After a moment, it became apparent King Gregory had grown bored of talking to him and Tommy turned back to the party, finding his gaze drawn to the writhing, intertwined bodies laid out on large pillowed mats that had apparently been brought in for the occasion.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy caught a glimpse of Prince Adam weaving his way through the people dancing off to one side. Tommy turned his attention to him as Prince Adam picked someone new to dance with. Tommy swallowed as he watched the prince dominate the shorter, slimmer man, hands going up under the man's tunic. The man's head fell back and the prince took the opportunity to lick and bite at his neck before dragging him off to one of the unoccupied pillowed mats.

Tommy found he could not look away as the man knelt between Prince Adam's legs and pushed up his tunic, lowering his head to his lap. Tommy could guess what was going on and didn't understand why it was fascinating him so. He'd never been attracted to a man in his life, yet he found his body tightening at the sight of Prince Adam's pleasure and his hand in the man's hair, guiding his movements.

It was a sight to behold, watching the prince be pleasured, so much so that Tommy didn't think to look away when Prince Adam's head lifted and his gaze locked onto Tommy's an instant before his body tensed, eyes slipping closed as his mouth dropped open and he shuddered through his orgasm.

Tommy's mouth went dry and he finally tore his gaze away, focusing instead on a pair of women pleasuring each other nearby. It wasn't the first time he'd witnessed such an act. Back in his more rebellious days, there were times he'd taken two or more willing castle servants back to his bedroom with him for a night of debauchery, none of them surfacing until well into the next morning.

Suddenly, Tommy ached for his castle and his bed and his old life, a life he didn't have anymore. The thought eased the tension from his body that watching Prince Adam had created, and Tommy looked away from the couples having sex altogether and focused on the groups dancing and the music filling the air, wishing for the night to be over sooner rather than later.

The week following the party passed in a blur of monotony. Every day, Tommy performed the same tasks, ate the same tasteless oats in the morning, the same stale bread at lunch. The evening meal quickly became the highlight of his day, something he was sure King Gregory hadn't intended.

As it was, though, it was the only time Tommy got to taste decent food and got to listen to bits and snatches of conversations that were familiar … not in the details, necessarily, but in the telling. Soldiers regaled each other of battles won and ribbed each other over silly embarrassments, and the royal family discussed matters of state. It was just like at home, except for the fact that he was on his knees, being spoon fed by a man he had watched be pleasured a week prior, a man who had demanded his surrender and dragged him into slavery. Curiously, though, Tommy didn't really lay that at Prince Adam's feet. No, all his contempt, all his hatred and all his anger were solely directed at King Gregory.

Prince Adam, on the other hand, became more and more of a mystery by the day to Tommy. There was the way he'd treated him on the way to Vox and the warnings he'd given. Then there was the way he'd thrown Tommy to his knees in front of the king with unnecessary roughness. And then there was the way the prince looked at him at the evening meal, while Tommy was on his knees with his mouth open for food.

Prince Adam didn't do it all the time, but sometimes he'd look at Tommy with this … this … _something_ in his eyes that Tommy couldn't quite place, but figured must be somewhere between remorse and gods only knew what. Pity, maybe. Only, it didn't look like pity. It looked like something else entirely, something that confused Tommy and made his stomach twist strangely. He wasn't sure he liked it, but at the same time, he watched Prince Adam intently for signs of it at every meal.

Through it all, he didn't hear one word from Monte, and even though he knew it would take time for Monte to locate and connect with trustworthy people who had access to the castle and him, it was still frustrating. Every day, Tommy watched as slaves were mistreated. It was driving him insane that he couldn't help them in some way, like just then, in one of the many corridors branching off the great hall.

It was the Feast of Abgellon and the celebration—which had started with the evening meal—had been going on for a few hours. Just like the last party, it had already devolved into strength and wit competitions and public sex. No one seemed to bat an eyelash at any of it, either, leading Tommy to the realization that public sex was a normal occurrence at any party, regardless of the reason for the party.

On a normal night, the kitchen slaves—Tommy included—would have retired by then, considering how early they had to rise, but because the party was still in full swing, they were stuck in the kitchens, preparing snacks.

Tommy hadn't been made to kneel and watch this time, though. Instead he had been ordered by King Gregory to walk among the people and top off drinks. He'd just emptied his latest carafe and was headed back to the kitchens to refill it when he heard someone pleading. He tensed and paused, listening for where the sound came from. Tommy located it quickly enough and rounded the corner in time to see that one of Vox's knights had one of the kitchen slaves—Jeffery, a boy barely fourteen—trapped against the corridor wall, his hand under the boy's tunic in the vicinity of his backside.

Unable to just stand by and watch the boy be forced, and even less able to turn and walk away, Tommy stepped forward and said, "He doesn't want your attention. I'm sure there are plenty in the great hall who would welcome it, though."

The knight turned toward Tommy, lips curling in amusement when he saw who it was. "You forget yourself, _slave_. Run along, now, before I decide to turn my attentions on you."

Squaring his shoulder and jutting out his chin, Tommy said, "I may be a slave now, but I know the laws sent down by the sovereign. Slaves are not to be forced into sexual servitude. Release him."

The knight tensed and turned away from Jeffery. "You dare to order me?"

"I dare to stand up against a bully who would become aroused by a boy's inexperience," Tommy retorted. If he was going to be punished for this, he might as well go down swinging, so-to-speak.

The knight fairly growled, advancing on Tommy. Jeffery took the opportunity to scramble away, bolting in the opposite direction.

Refusing to back down even though the soldier was over a head taller than him and Tommy didn't have a weapon to speak of, Tommy stood his ground, hand clutching the neck of the carafe, deciding he'd have to make do and use it if it came to it.

With an evil glint in his eyes and a cruel smirk curving his lips, the soldier gave Tommy the once over. "You're a little older than I like them, but your boyish face almost makes up for it. Besides, I'd be an idiot to turn down a chance to fuck a king."

Tommy's hand tightened on the carafe and he widened his stance, preparing to defend himself. "You'll have to keep looking, then, since I'm no longer a king."

The man chuckled. "Close enough. Tell me, slave, have you ever been fucked? Or am I going to be your first?"

Before Tommy could reply, Prince Adam stepped into the corridor, coming to a stop several feet behind the knight. "Before you answer that, Thomas, answer this. Do you welcome his advances?"

Tommy looked over the soldier's shoulder, relieved despite himself that Prince Adam was there. He could see Jeffery standing just behind, peeking around the prince, and deduced that the boy must have fetched him. He'd have to remember to thank Jeffery later. While it wouldn't have been the first time Tommy had fought someone larger than himself, there were laws against slaves fighting freemen, even ones attempting to rape them.

Gaze shifting back to the soldier who stood frozen and staring at Tommy, the cockiness of a minute ago replaced by fear in his eyes, Tommy said to Prince Adam, "No, My Lord, I do not welcome his advances. I came upon him forcing himself on Jeffery and reminded him of the law against it. He scoffed and turned his attention on me."

"Lord Seth, turn and face me."

Slowly Lord Seth turned around. "My Lord?"

"If I ever catch or even hear of you forcing yourself on another slave, I will not hesitate to toss you in the dungeon. Do I make myself clear?"

Lord Seth tensed. "You would take the word of a slave over a nobleman?"

Prince Adam's steely blue gaze bore down on Lord Seth. "Given what I just heard from your own mouth, yes, I would."

Silence blanketed the hallway for a long moment before Lord Seth replied, "Yes, My Lord. You've made yourself clear. I will watch myself in the future."

Prince Adam nodded. "See that you do. Now get out of here before I change my mind and toss you down there tonight."

Lord Seth strode away, the tense lines of his back giving away his anger. The moment he disappeared from sight, Jeffery bolted out from behind Prince Adam and ran up to Tommy, throwing his arms around his neck.

Not used to being randomly hugged since no one but his close friends would have ever dared do something like that with a prince, Tommy stood there in shock for a moment, staring at Prince Adam, before pulling himself together and hugging the boy back.

After a minute, Jeffery awkwardly pulled back and said, "Thank you, My Lord, for saving me from him."

Tommy's eyes shot to Prince Adam's, then back to the boy. "I'm no longer nobility, Jeffery. Call me Tommy."

Jeffery's eyes widened, but then he nodded and smiled. "Alright. Thank you, Tommy."

Tommy smiled at him and ruffled his hair, then said, "Thank _you_ for calling the attention of Prince Adam. I should not have liked to fight Lord Seth. Beating him to a pulp surely would have landed me in the dungeon with my back flayed open."

Jeffery cringed, then threw his arms around Tommy one more time before taking off down the hall, leaving Tommy and Prince Adam alone together.

Clearing his throat, Tommy said, "And thank you, for trusting a slave's word and not turning a blind eye."

Prince Adam nodded, then tilted his head slightly, studying Tommy curiously. "Tell me something, Thomas. Would you have really fought him, knowing the punishment would indeed have been a whipping and a trip to the dungeon?"

"Yes," Tommy said without hesitation.

"And you believe you would have won?" Prince Adam asked, sounding like he was truly curious and maybe trying to decide for himself who would have won.

Tommy offered Prince Adam a smile. "I may be small, but I've won fights against greater odds."

Prince Adam smiled in return. "After seeing you on the battlefield, I have no doubt of that."

Tommy couldn't help but be pleased by the compliment. In the next instant, he wondered at his sanity. He should not be pleased with anything Prince Adam had to say. He shouldn't even be talking to him like this. At some point—hopefully sooner rather than later—he was going to be called on to kill the royal family, Prince Adam included. Seeing the prince as a real person would only make it that much harder to slit his throat later.

With a nod, Prince Adam said, "I should return to the feast before my absence is noticed. I do not care to explain this to my uncle. He most likely would fall on Lord Seth's side, law or no law."

Tommy blinked, not having expected Prince Adam to confide something like that in him. As the prince turned to go, Tommy couldn't help but ask, "One question, My Lord, if I may?"

Prince Adam turned back. "Yes?"

"Why did you step in? Especially if King Gregory would not approve."

Something flashed through Prince Adam's eyes, something fierce that took Tommy off guard. "I do not condone rape."

With that, Prince Adam turned again and strode down the corridor and around the corner, out of sight.

Adam watched Thomas navigate the great hall on his way to deliver the evening meal to the royal table. Several slaves were with him to help him carry all the bowls and platters of steaming meats and vegetables. If it had been feasible, Adam was sure his Uncle Gregory would have insisted that Thomas carry all the food himself, but in order for Thomas to do that, he'd have to make several trips to the kitchens and by the time he was through, half the food would have been barely warm.

Thomas was, quite frankly, a mystery to Adam. Following his surrender that first day, Thomas had seemed to have such a hard time shifting from a king's mindset to a slave's when they'd stopped to eat that Adam had been sure his uncle would be ordering Thomas's first whipping within minutes of Thomas being presented to him. Instead, Thomas had managed to act and speak appropriately in front of the king, and had continued to do so ever since.

He'd even made it through the victory celebration on his knees in front of everyone without so much as a misstep. Adam had only been near him for a short time that night, but he hadn't been able to help but check on him as the night went on. At one point, Adam's uncle had made Tommy fill all the goblets on his knees and Thomas had done so without balking.

Adam hadn't missed the irritation that flashed through Gregory's eyes at that. It was obvious he was trying to figure out what would make Thomas rebel. Adam just hoped Thomas kept his calm and outsmarted the king. For reasons Adam couldn't quite put a name to, he didn't want to see Thomas whipped … or worse.

For that reason, the other night in the hall with Thomas and Lord Seth was weighing on Adam's mind greatly. He'd stumbled on Thomas' Achilles heel completely by accident. Judging from what he'd witnessed and what Jeffery had told him, Thomas couldn't look the other way if someone was in trouble. It was an admirable quality for a warrior and a king, but in a slave … it could be a death sentence.

Truth be told, Adam hadn't known what to think when Jeffery had come running over, clearly scared to approach him, but equally fearful of not doing something to help the man who had saved him from Lord Seth. Adam had tried to make it easy for the boy by giving him a minute to collect himself, and then Jeffery had told him what Thomas had done for him. Adam had been shocked, to say the least. A slave confronting a nobleman just wasn't done. But then, not that long ago Thomas would have been the man's better, so Adam supposed he shouldn't be all that surprised.

At any rate, he hadn't been sure what he would find when he turned the corner in that hall, but Thomas facing off against the much larger lord, looking every bit ready to defend himself with nothing but a carafe for a weapon hadn't been it. True, Adam had seen him fight on the battlefield, and fight well, but he'd also seen him surrender at the first opportunity. Somehow, Adam had assumed that would translate and Thomas would either be face first against the wall with Lord Seth inside him, or Thomas would be trying to run away from the situation.

Instead, he'd gotten an eyeful of an angry, fierce Thomas and it had been a sight to behold. Thomas was beautiful on a bad day, let alone when his eyes were flashing and he was poised for attack. Adam hadn't been able to get the image out of his mind since.

That, along with the memory of Thomas staring fixedly at him during the victory party while one of the castle servants fellated him and how much that had turned Adam on, led Adam to reluctantly acknowledge an unwanted attraction to the king turned slave. He had enough on his plate already, considering his uncle's very transparent attempts to find a reason to strip Adam of his right to take over as king in a year and a half on his twenty-fifth birthday, without entering into a tug of war with his uncle over a spoil of war.

"Watch yourself, Adam, or our uncle will figure it out," Neil said, leaning in and pitching his voice low so only Adam would hear him.

Adam frowned and pulled his gaze from Thomas to glance at Neil. "Figure out what?"

Neil shot him a knowing look. "That you've got a thing for the former king."

Adam glowered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right," Neil said. "So that intent look on your face as you watch him walk over is just what, exactly?"

Adam glanced over at his uncle and found him deep in conversation with his husband, Randal, who was barely a man at the tender age of seventeen. Gregory, on the other hand, was a good twenty years Adam's senior.

Turning back to Neil, Adam said, "Keep your mouth shut."

"So I'm right," Neil said smugly. "I should have known. He's completely your type, small and scrappy."

Adam rolled his eyes. "I don't know where you get these notions. I don't have a type."

"Well, let's see. There was Bradley, Drake, Marshal, Kristopher … all tiny, pretty men. Shall I go on?"

Adam scowled. "I was never with Kris."

"But you wanted to be," Neil said knowingly. "It was just too bad he was already married and madly in love with his wife by the time you two met."

Adam sighed, watching Thomas come closer. "You're right. He's very attractive. But I don't plan to do anything about it. He's a complication I don't need."

"You're right, you don't," Neil agreed, shooting Adam a pointed look. Leaning closer, Neil added, "In case it helps cool the fires, I made some inquiries among his former knights. Thomas has no history of male lovers. It appears your advances would be unwanted even if you did try."

Adam couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in that, and irked by the fact that he'd been so obvious with his interest that it had prompted Neil to check into it for him.

"Wipe that scowl off your face, brother," Neil said. "The only reason I noticed your interest is because I know you and your type so well. Uncle Gregory and Randal are not nearly as observant of your personal proclivities."

Adam exhaled slowly, hoping Neil was right. It would not bode well for Thomas if Gregory knew of Adam's interest, he was sure. His uncle had a mean streak, especially when it came to Adam, because he knew his days were numbered.

The day Adam turned twenty-five the throne would be turned over to him, since he was the heir apparent. The only reason it hadn't already was because he'd only been sixteen when his father died, too young to legally take over. In cases such as that, the throne was turned over to the next closest of kin, to be turned back over to the heir apparent at the quarter century mark of their lives.

Adam had long thought it an unfair law, given that if he'd been but two years older at the time of his father's death he could have rightly worn the crown. He never had understood why being two years too young meant he had to wait seven extra years to take over, but that was the way of things. It was particularly frustrating in a case such as this, where he disagreed with so much of what his uncle said and did in his capacity as king. It was so far removed from how Adam's dad had ruled that Adam sometimes found it hard to believe they were brothers.

Adam's attention was again caught as Thomas drew closer. Adam glanced at his uncle to make sure he was still occupied with Randal before returning his attention to Thomas. He studied Thomas's face, noting the drawn look on it. If he wasn't mistaken, Thomas looked … thinner than when they'd met. That didn't sit well with Adam, considering how thin Thomas already was. He must not be eating well, Adam guessed. Considering the gruel the slaves were allowed under his uncle's rule, that shouldn't have surprised Adam. Thomas was used to much better fare. It couldn't be easy, all the adjustments he'd had to make since being reduced to slavery.

Thomas stopped beside the table then, waiting to be called upon before he began describing the dishes to be served that night. Adam had to fight back a smile as he listened. Thomas's former kingdom—now part of Vox's holdings—was in a part of the realm known as the valley, and the people there had a rather unique accent all their own. Usually, it mildly annoyed Adam, but he found he rather enjoyed hearing it come from Thomas's mouth.

After the announcements were made, Gregory ordered Thomas to his knees between him and Adam as usual, and ordered Adam to feed him. Keeping in mind his observations about Thomas's weight and the most probable cause, Adam found himself feeding Thomas larger than usual portions whenever his uncle wasn't looking. The first time he brought a heaping spoonful to Thomas's mouth, it was of mashed potatoes seasoned with chives and Thomas's eyes shot to his in surprise, even as he eagerly opened his mouth for the food.

Adam watched with rapt attention as Thomas's lips closed over the spoon. Adam slid the spoon from Thomas's mouth and had to remind himself to keep his breathing steady. He never would have thought he'd become aroused by feeding someone, but the twitch of his cock under his tunic spoke otherwise.

The next time his uncle was looking the other way, Adam speared up a second forkful of steak, the excuse that he'd forgotten he'd already fed Thomas a piece at the ready should he be caught. Thomas's eyebrows shot up as Adam brought the food to his mouth, but Thomas didn't hesitate to take the bite, his brown eyes holding Adam's, his teeth scraping down the length of the fork as Adam slid it from his mouth. If Adam wasn't mistaken, there was a hint of gratitude in Thomas's brown eyes as he chewed and swallowed. The tasting continued that way until all the dishes had been tested.

Reluctantly, Adam set the silverware down and said, "All have been tested, Uncle, and passed."

Gregory nodded. "Very well. Return to your kitchen duties, slave."

With one last curious glance in Adam's direction, Thomas got to his feet and bowed. "Right away, Your Highness."

Adam watched Tommy walk away and cursed himself as he realized how much he'd slipped just then, and how badly that could go for him if Thomas were to start questioning things. He supposed he would have to wait and see if anything would come of it. Hopefully, Thomas would be grateful enough for the extra food that he wouldn't ask the questions Adam had seen in his eyes.

As it turned out, Thomas didn't ask any questions, even when they happened across each other a few times over the next week, although Thomas did seem … warmer around him somehow. As a result, they fell into a habit of Adam feeding him extra whenever his uncle and Randal weren't looking. Adam was pretty sure, too, that Thomas purposely timed swallowing his bites of food for when Adam's uncle wasn't looking whenever possible. And Adam was pleased to notice that by the end of the week Thomas wasn't looking quite as drawn as he had before. Adam would have sworn some of the thinness in his face had gone away, too.

A commotion from the other side of the hall drew Adam's attention from the affairs of court he was sitting in on with his uncle. Adam looked over and discovered two guards hauling Thomas between them, moving quickly toward Adam and his uncle. Adam's stomach sank, knowing whatever it was wasn't going to bode well for Thomas. A quick look at Gregory confirmed Adam's suspicions. Delight danced in his eyes. The king had been hoping all along Thomas would give him trouble just so that he could be cruel to him.

"What is this?" Gregory asked as the soldiers stopped in front of him, each holding one of Thomas's arms.

Pressing down on his shoulders with their free hands, the soldiers forced Thomas to his knees, and then one of them said, "He was discovered in the kitchens pilfering food."

Adam's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Is this true, slave?" Gregory asked.

Thomas met and held the King's gaze. "It was only a scrap of bread, Your Highness. Hardly anything that would be missed."

The king's eyes narrowed. "It was not your scrap of bread to take, though, was it, slave? You do not have the right to anything I do not permit you, do you?"

Thomas's jaw clenched and he answered through his teeth, "No, Your Highness. I do not."

Adam found it hard to believe, frankly. He was feeding Thomas extra, and before he'd started doing that, Thomas had been getting thinner and thinner from lack of nourishment. Why would he start stealing food _now_ that he was being fed better, instead of before? Unless…

Adam glanced toward the kitchens and saw Jeffery peeking around the corner of the corridor leading there, eyes wide, a terrified and guilty expression on his face. Of course. It appeared Thomas had taken the boy under his wing and most probably had stolen the food for him. His misplaced affection for the boy was going to cost him.

"I expected better from you," Gregory said, face schooled into a properly disappointed expression, although Adam didn't believe it for a second.

From the flash of hatred in Thomas's eyes, Adam doubted he bought the act, either. Adam itched to speak up, to say something on Thomas's behalf, but knew it wouldn't help. It would probably cause more harm than good, in all actuality. Also, there were other things to consider. He couldn't let his misplaced attraction to Thomas distract him from the end goal, no matter the injustice that was about to occur.

Finally, Thomas dropped his head and mumbled, "I am sorry, Your Highness. I forgot myself."

Gregory looked as if he was contemplating mercy for a moment, but it was all an act, as his next words proved.

"I would like to go easy on you, slave, and give you another chance, but I fear it would set a bad example and before you know it, all the slaves would be stealing bits of food and there would be nothing left to feed the brave warriors who keep this kingdom safe. That in mind, I am removing you from kitchen duties and relegating you to stable slave. You will clean animal dung, and when visitors arrive, you are to present yourself and care for the leader's horse for them, so that they can see the example you set of what happens to enemies foolish enough to believe they can best us."

Thomas kept his head bowed so that Adam couldn't see his expression as he responded, "Yes, Your Highness."

Gregory waved his hand at the guards, who yanked Thomas back to his feet and marched him out of the castle, taking him to the stables straight away. Adam wasn't sure who he wanted to hit more, his uncle for being a horse's ass, or Thomas for getting caught helping Jeffery. Adam glanced over at Jeffery again, just in time to see him step out from around the corner of the kitchens, looking at the king, expression terrified but determined. Adam cursed. Leave it to the fool boy to try to be brave to save Thomas, as if it would make a difference.

Clearing his throat, Adam asked, "Might I take a short break, Uncle Gregory?"

Gregory's glance was dismissive. "Take however long you like."

Adam nodded and rose from his chair. He crossed the hall, intercepting Jeffery and steering him down a corridor off to one side.

Once they were alone, Adam said, "You'd do well to keep your mouth shut, boy."

"But I can't, My Lord. Tommy wasn't stealing the bread for himself. He was doing it for me because I missed breakfast. It isn't right he's being punished because of me."

Adam stared steadily at Jeffery. "You give yourself too much credit. If it hadn't been this, it would have been something else. The king was looking for an excuse to punish Thomas."

"But—"

"There are no buts," Adam said in a sharp voice. When the boy flinched, he softened his voice. "Tell me. What were Thomas's instructions?"

Jeffery's head dropped and he said quietly, "To keep my mouth shut because there was no point in both of us being punished."

"Then do as he said. He's right, there is no point. His punishment will stay the same, only you will join him. From what I've seen of how he's been trying to take care of you, I doubt very much he would be happy about that. Considering everything he's going to suffer over that scrap of food he got for you, I should think you wouldn't want to add to his misery, would you?"

Jeffery's shoulders dropped. "No, My Lord."

Adam hesitated, then reached out and placed a hand on Jeffery's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "If it helps, look at it this way. By keeping silent, you are helping Thomas get one over on the king." At Jeffery's questioning look, Adam explained, "If the king knew, he'd punish you as well _just_ because it would bother Thomas so much. This way, the king is denied that and Thomas gets to hold on to that scrap of defiance."

Jeffery still didn't look happy with the idea, but he straightened his back and nodded his head. "Alright. I will keep silent, but only because you, as prince, ordered it."

Adam started to say he hadn't ordered it, but then caught on. He had to fight to keep the smile from his face. There was more to Jeffery than met the eye. He was crafty. If this was what he needed to assuage his guilt, Adam would give it to him.

"Very well. I do order it. You are not to speak a word of the real reason Thomas stole the bread unless I tell you to. Is that clear?"

"Yes, My Lord," Jeffery said.

Adam watched the boy walk off, headed back to his duties in the kitchens, and hoped he kept his mouth shut. If he didn't, not only would he be punished along side Thomas, just like Adam had warned, Adam's part in trying to keep him silent would most likely come out and Adam couldn’t afford that.

He sighed, realizing that yet again he'd put himself in a precarious position because of Thomas. It was becoming a habit and Adam wasn't sure what to do about it, considering he couldn't seem to help himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Tommy scooped up cow dung off the stable floor and hauled it over to a barrel that was almost full of the stuff. A couple more shovels full and he was ready to haul it to the manure pile out behind the stables. The job was disgusting, but he'd been told he'd get used to the smell by a very amused stable slave when on the first day Tommy had almost thrown up halfway through cleaning out a stall. A week later and Tommy was still just as disgusted by the smell as he had been that first day.

He hauled the barrel back into the stable after he dumped the manure and set it down, stretching his back and arms quickly before picking up the shovel again. His muscles were sore from the strenuous work. He was just thankful for the strength and endurance he'd built up over the years wielding a sword and wearing armor or he would have been done for the first day in the stables.

Tommy got back to work, his thoughts drifting back to Jeffery. He hoped the boy was doing alright. He'd told Jeffery to keep his mouth shut, but he'd seen him walking into the hall after Tommy's sentencing. He'd been sure Jeffery was going to spill everything and get punished, too, but then an unexpected thing had happened.

As Tommy was being escorted out of the castle, he saw Prince Adam get up and intercept Jeffery. Tommy wasn't at all sure it had anything to do with anything, but given what he knew of Jeffery, he doubted the boy would have kept his mouth shut merely on Tommy's order, considering Tommy had no authority over him.

The only conclusion that left, then, was that Prince Adam had somehow figured out the real story and for whatever reason had sought to keep Jeffery out of trouble. If that was the case, Tommy half wanted to thank Prince Adam, and half wanted to hit him. It was going to make it that much harder for Tommy to carry out his plan and kill the prince when the time came if it turned out Prince Adam wasn't just as evil as his uncle.

Speaking of plans, Tommy was pretty sure his and Monte's was in ruins unless he could find some way to get himself back into the castle. He'd tried to figure out a way he could get in after dark so he'd be ready when Monte got word to him, but so far he hadn't come up with anything. Plus, he was still being shackled at night, just in a different set of slave quarters that was as hot and stifling as the last.

Tommy was so deep in thought about how to still carry out his plan that he didn't see anyone in front of him until he literally ran into them on the way back to the wheelbarrow. Tommy bounced off the solid body and his eyes opened wide as he saw who it was and just what his dirty clothing had done to the man's royal robes.

"Adam," Tommy mumbled, then remembered himself, his eyes opening wider. He couldn't even fathom why he'd addressed the prince so informally. He made a point of not even _thinking_ of him as just Adam in the hopes of avoiding a slip up. "Um, I'm sorry. I mean, I'm sorry, My Lord. I-I didn't see you there."

Tommy was relieved to see the prince's lips curve up into a slight smile instead of turn down in anger.

Looking down at himself with a slight grimace in spite of the smile, Prince Adam said dryly, "That's obvious."

Tommy winced. "I could clean them for you…"

"I have a servant for that," Prince Adam said quickly, giving Tommy the once over. "In your current state, you'd most likely get them dirtier."

Tommy's cheeks heated, even though it seemed like the prince was more pointing out a fact than trying to humiliate him.

"Yes, My Lord."

Silence fell between them for a minute, and then Prince Adam grabbed Tommy's arm and pulled him off to the side, away from prying eyes and curious ears. "Jeffery's doing well. I thought you'd like to know. And he's under orders not to say a word about why you stole that bread."

Tommy exhaled. "Thank you." In his relief, he forgot to address Prince Adam properly, but it didn't seem to trouble the prince, so Tommy didn't bother to correct himself again.

Prince Adam looked at him curiously. "You must have known what the king would do if you were caught. You seem intelligent enough to have figured out he's amused by his power over you."

Tommy's lips pressed together and he nodded his head. "Yes. I assumed that was why he gave me kitchen duties to start out, so there'd be something to 'lower' me to, as it were, when I invariably screwed up."

Prince Adam nodded. "And you gave him just the reason. Why?"

Tommy shrugged. "I couldn't watch Jeffery starve. He's skin and bones as it is." Tommy shot Prince Adam a surreptitious look. They hadn't once discussed what had gone on during the food tastings, but it didn't mean Tommy wasn't completely aware of the fact that Adam had given him larger portions than normal—and extra ones—or why. "Surely you can understand."

Prince Adam's eyes widened briefly, before he glanced away and cleared his throat. "Yes, I suppose I can."

Now that it had been mentioned in a round about way, Tommy felt he should thank Prince Adam properly. "Thank you for that, by the way."

Prince Adam's jaw tightened. "I have no idea what you mean."

Tommy caught the look in Prince Adam's eyes and nodded. "Of course not, My Lord."

Prince Adam stared at him for a long moment, then shook his head, letting go of Tommy's arm. "I don't understand it."

Tommy tilted his head in curiosity. "Understand what?"

"Why anything to do with you should matter to me," Prince Adam said, sounding beyond irritated with the fact.

As quickly as the admission came, Prince Adam turned and walked off, leaving Tommy to stare after him, bemused.

Prince Adam's parting words were still with Tommy days later as he again cleaned the stables. He didn't know what to make of them, or what to make of the prince. All he knew was that Prince Adam was a complication he didn't need or want.

Tommy had just finished with his usual stables when Richard, the freedman in charge of the stable slaves, called him over.

Guiding the wheelbarrow and shovel over, Tommy asked, "Yes, sir?"

"Chadwick's been injured and cannot take care of his share of the stables. I'm dividing his duties up and your share is the royal stables. See to them now."

Tommy silently cursed his workload being added to, but outwardly, he simply nodded and altered his course, heading to the royal stables.

As soon as Tommy stepped inside, he saw him. Wild. His warhorse. Tommy's gut clenched at the sight of the beautiful white horse. He'd assumed Wild had run off in the chaos of the battle. He'd never imagined he'd find him in the royal stables. Glancing around and seeing that he was alone for the moment, Tommy couldn't help but go to him.

Dropping the handles of the wheelbarrow, Tommy crossed to Wild's stall, calling softly to him to alert him he was there. With as steady a hand as he could manage, Tommy reached out and touched the spot in the middle of Wild's forehead that always seemed to calm him. The horse blew out and lowered his head, signaling his recognition.

Tommy smiled, choked up. "I never thought I'd see you again."

Tommy petted down between Wild's eyes to his nose and held his palm out. Wild sniffed at it expectantly.

Tommy chuckled quietly. "Sorry, boy. I don't have any sugar cubes."

Wild blew out again and licked his lips. Tommy swallowed hard and looked him over, running his hands over his neck and back as he walked around him.

"It looks like they're treating you well, at least," Tommy said as he came back around to Wild's head, fighting back a wave of emotion over yet another thing he'd lost.

"Of course we are. He's a beauty."

Tommy jumped nearly a mile in the air as he whipped around to find Prince Adam standing nearby, watching him. Immediately, Wild reacted to Tommy's nervousness and reared back, whinnying. Tommy turned back around, careful to stay out of Wild's way while making sure not to back up, knowing that would give the horse the impression Tommy wasn't in control. In a soothing voice, he talked Wild down, ignoring Prince Adam for the time being until Wild was back under control, head lowered, allowing Tommy to pet his neck.

Carefully, Tommy turned back around and started to ask, "How long…"

"Long enough," Prince Adam said when Tommy trailed off. He nodded toward the horse. "He was yours."

Tommy cleared his throat and took a deep breath, mortified to be caught out in a sentimental moment with his former horse. "He was, yes."

Prince Adam was silent for a moment, then said, "Even if you hadn't admitted it, I would have known."

Tommy frowned. "How so? Did you see me riding him on the battlefield?"

Prince Adam shook his head and motioned to the side with one hand. "Step away from him."

Tommy's stomach sank. "But—"

"Do it," Prince Adam ordered.

Left with no other option other than to obey or face a lashing, Tommy clenched his jaw and forced himself to turn and walk over to the other side of the stable, where Prince Adam had indicated.

As soon as Tommy stopped, well out of Wild's line of sight, Prince Adam started for the horse. He didn't even manage to get within ten feet before Wild started whining loudly in distress. Automatically Tommy stepped forward, but Prince Adam stopped him with a look.

"Stay there."

Tommy's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched, but he did as he was told.

Prince Adam moved a foot closer and Wild shifted to the side as much as he could in his stall, clearly agitated. Another foot closer and Wild neighed and reared up. Prince Adam stopped advancing and looked over at Tommy.

"That is why. He won't let anyone near him. I almost shouted for you to get back for your own safety when I saw you standing next to him. That is, until I heard you speaking to him."

Tommy's vision blurred and he blinked the moisture away, partly ecstatic over Wild's behavior, and partly terrified. If Wild couldn't be gentled, there would be no use for him.

Tommy cleared his throat, remembering the order to remain where he was, even though everything inside him was screaming at him to walk over and calm Wild down. "What will happen if he continues this way?"

Prince Adam stepped back far enough that Wild stopped rearing and neighing and said, "What do you think, Thomas?"

Tommy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them and met Prince Adam's gaze. "Please. I'll do anything. Just … just don't put him down."

Prince Adam's blue eyes were penetrating as he stared Tommy down. "Anything?"

Tommy's breath caught in his chest. He knew of Prince Adam's preference for men. He'd been told often enough by gossiping slaves. And in the same breath he'd been told he was of the same build as many of Prince Adam's past lovers. While Tommy himself had never had any inclinations toward the male sex, he thought maybe he could manage it with Prince Adam if need be. Faced with what he assumed was a proposition, he found that the idea was somewhat … intriguing, to be honest. Never having been one to limit himself, and having earned a reputation for being willing to try anything once back in his rebellious days, Tommy acknowledged that he'd always meant to try sex with a man, just as soon as he found a man he was attracted to.

"Anything," Tommy said sincerely.

Prince Adam nodded. "Very well. I want you to keep the horse calm while he gets used to my touch and my voice. If I can ride him, my uncle won't have a reason to put him down. I want you to help him accept me as his master."

Sure Prince Adam had been about to demand sex in return for leniency with Wild, it took Tommy a moment to comprehend what the prince actually wanted from him. When he did catch on, his embarrassment over the misunderstanding quickly faded in the face of what the prince was suggesting.

Excitedly, Tommy asked, "Really? You would take the time to do that?"

Prince Adam smiled. "It's not like it would be a hardship. He's a beautiful horse. Strong, too."

It wasn't as good as keeping Wild himself, but it was better than the alternative, and besides, Tommy realized, given how Prince Adam had treated Jeffery, he was probably the only person in Vox Tommy would trust with Wild, as bemusing as the thought was.

Tommy nodded eagerly. "He is. Once he trusts you, you'll find he's an excellent ride and his skills in battle are second to none. He takes cues expertly."

Prince Adam laughed good-naturedly. "Spoken like a proud owner."

The smile that had been forming on Tommy's lips at Prince Adam's laughter dropped from Tommy's face as pain stabbed through his heart. "Except I'm not his owner anymore."

Prince Adam sobered. "No. You're not. But if this works, I will see to it that his care is left to you."

Tommy felt gratitude overwhelm him, followed quickly by questions. "How is he being cared for now, then?"

"By Richard's latest reports, it seems it takes six stable hands and lots of rope and even then there are injuries."

"Chadwick?" Tommy asked, making the connection.

Prince Adam nodded. "He's the latest, yes. I was called down here by Richard because of it, to make the decision to put him down. I came in here for one last look at him before giving the word."

Tommy gasped at how close he'd come to losing Wild. "But you won't now, right?"

"Not if this works, no," Prince Adam conceded.

Tommy nodded, then motioned toward Wild. "May I?"

Prince Adam raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"You said I couldn't move, My Lord," Tommy reminded him.

Prince Adam smiled lightly. "So I did. Yes, you may."

Tommy immediately approached Wild again, talking to him as he ran his hands over his neck and rubbed his forehead until Wild was once again calm and submissive.

To Prince Adam, he said, "If you bring sugar cubes when you come, you'll win him over in no time."

Prince Adam nodded. "I'll bring some tomorrow." After a moment, Prince Adam asked, "Is it safe?"

"Only one way to find out, My Lord," Tommy said.

"I'd rather not pick your broken body up off the floor if he rears," Prince Adam said, eyeing Wild skeptically.

Tommy looked over at him. "I know how to get out of the way quickly enough if it comes to it. I caught him in the wild and it took a long time for him to trust me, too."

Prince Adam studied him for a moment and must have decided he believed him, because he started forward, taking it slowly.

Tommy turned back to Wild and said, "That's it, boy. You can trust him. Just be good for him, all right?"

Prince Adam continued to approach and while Wild shuffled and stepped to the side a few times, he didn't neigh or rear up.

When Prince Adam was close enough, Tommy said, "Rub in circles on his forehead. He likes that."

"Giving me orders, Thomas?" Prince Adam asked mildly.

Tommy forced himself not to tense for fear of scaring Wild and said calmly, "I'm sorry, My Lord."

"I'm only joking, Thomas. While we're doing this, you are free to talk to me as an equal, including addressing me informally as long as we're alone. It would be very trying indeed if everything you say to me has to be presented as a request or followed up by a 'My Lord', I should think."

Tommy exhaled. "Thank you." He hesitated, then found himself saying, "You can call me Tommy, if you like."

Adam smiled at him. "Tommy. It suits you better."

Tommy's stomach did a curious flip as he smiled back.

Adam reached out, but as soon as his fingers touched Wild's head, Wild reared. Tommy stepped out of the way quickly, deftly avoiding Wild's hooves, then glanced over, glad to see Adam had managed to get away free of injury also. He was fairly sure Adam would change his mind about the endeavor if Wild were to hurt him.

"You're all right," Adam said, sounding impressed.

Tommy smiled. "I'm not in the habit of lying about my abilities, just so you know."

Adam pointed toward Wild, who had quieted back down. "Should we try again?"

Tommy nodded. "Yes. I think he's okay now."

Again Tommy stepped up next to Wild and talked to him, petting him as Adam approached. This time, though, instead of telling the prince to try touching him, Tommy reached out, mindless of his slave rank, and grabbed Adam's hand. Tommy felt a jolt of … something at the touch but ignored it, focusing his attention on Wild so as not to end up trampled if Wild got nervous again.

With Adam's hand gripped in his, Tommy lifted both their hands together and touched the spot on Wild's forehead he'd indicated to Adam, his palm pressed to the back of Adam's hand, their interlocked fingers petting Wild together. Slowly, Tommy slid his fingers from between Adam's and let his hand fall away, and then it was only Adam touching Wild.

"His name's Wild," Tommy said softly.

"You named your horse?" Adam asked, sounding surprised.

Tommy looked over at the prince and asked, equally surprised, "Don't you?"

Adam shook his head slowly, obviously trying not to spook the horse. "No. It's not something that's done here in Vox." Turning to the horse, Adam said, "Hi, Wild."

The horse blew out and lowered his head.

Adam grinned. "By the gods, it's working."

Tommy grinned at Adam in return. "It is. Should I step away?"

Adam shook his head, dropping his hand and stepping away himself. "No. I'd rather take it slow than chance messing it up." He leaned his shoulder against a support post and continued, "I'll return in the morning with sugar cubes. We'll get him out of his stall and try that way, when he's not feeling trapped."

Tommy nodded and walked away from Wild also. Assuming their time as equals was over, he said, "As you wish, My Lord."

Adam studied Tommy for a moment, then said, "You forget yourself half the time with me, yet not with others."

Tommy blinked. "I guess I do. I'm sorry, My Lord."

Adam shrugged. "My question is, why don't you with others, too? I'm assuming you haven't had any occasion to be subservient before."

Tommy shrugged. "It's not so hard, really. I thought it would be, but it's just … not." Tommy hesitated, then with a glance toward Adam from under his fringe of hair, admitted, "I tell myself I'm playing a role."

"A role you forget you're in around me?" Adam asked.

It was Tommy's turn to study Adam, not having considered that before. "Yes. I suppose I do, although I do not know why."

Just then, the stable doors creaked open and Richard walked in. He took one look at the empty wheelbarrow on the other side of the stable and his eyes landed on Tommy.

"You have not even started?" he asked. "What have you been doing?"

Adam stepped forward, out of the shadow of the support post he'd been leaning against. "That is my fault, Richard. I made a discovery and commandeered your stable hand to test a theory."

"Oh," Richard said, looking bemused. "What kind of discovery?"

Tommy watched the interaction, intrigued. Richard seemed properly respectful of Adam, but not nervous around him. And the fact that he seemed comfortable enough to inquire anything of Adam so informally led to the impression that the two men knew each other fairly well.

Adam nodded. "It appears that the white warhorse we were about to put down responds rather favorably to Thomas, here, and furthermore, when Thomas is near him, the horse allows me near him as well."

Richard's eyes widened, flying from Adam, to Tommy, to Wild. "Is that so? By the gods, it's a miracle, then. I thought the horse was a lost cause."

At Richard's reaction to the news, Tommy felt his spirits lift further than they already had upon Wild letting Adam touch him. It appeared Richard hadn't been any more happy about the idea of putting Wild down than Adam had. Right then Tommy decided Richard was someone he liked.

Adam clasped his hands together behind his back and said, "In light of these discoveries, I have decided that care of the horse should be given to Thomas. Further, I will be showing up daily to work with Thomas and the horse in a bid to get the horse to trust me enough to let me ride him. I expect you to free up Thomas' schedule to make this possible."

Richard nodded. "As you wish, My Lord."

After Adam left, Richard walked over to where Tommy was once again scooping up horse dung and said, "Show me how well the horse gentles for you."

Tommy hesitated, unsure what Richard was angling at, but in the end, it wasn't as if he had a choice. Richard could order him to stand on his head and recite the knight's creed backwards and he'd have to do so or face a lashing.

Setting down his shovel, Tommy walked over and began talking to and petting Wild. Richard walked over, but when Wild showed signs of agitation, he backed off again.

"Remarkable," Richard said. "No one, and I mean no one, has been able to get anywhere near him without armor and a healthy dose of daring."

Tommy chuckled. "So Prince Adam said."

Richard shot Tommy a knowing look. "How long was he yours?"

Tommy tensed. "Sir?"

Richard waved a hand dismissively. "None of that. I'm not stupid. You don't have to worry, though. If the prince has no intention of announcing you're the horse's former owner, I wouldn't dream of it."

Tommy relaxed. "He was mine for three years, ever since I caught and tamed him."

Richard nodded, looking impressed that Tommy had managed that. "He's a fine horse. I'm glad the prince's discovery was made in time."

Tommy smiled. "I am too."

The next morning, Richard sent for Tommy bright and early, just after the morning meal. Tommy hurried to the royal stables, wondering if he'd get to ride Wild today. He assumed it had been a while since Wild had been properly exercised and he was looking forward to it. Still, even if he wasn't allowed to ride just yet, he was being allowed to care for him and that was more than he'd had to look forward to since supposedly surrendering his crown.

Tommy stepped inside the stable, only to hear Adam talking with Lord Randal.

"Why hasn't he been put down yet?"

Tommy tensed and stepped behind a beam before he was seen.

"I found someone who can handle him," Adam said, voice flat. "He's going to help me gentle him."

"So I suppose that means you think he should be yours, then? Nevermind I already laid claim to him and Gregory didn't object?"

"Yes. And I wonder how much time spent on your knees it cost you," Adam retorted.

"Watch your mouth," Lord Randal said, voice hard and cold.

"Or what? You'll run and tell Uncle Gregory I slandered you with the truth? Because that is the only way he would have given you a prime piece of warhorse flesh and we both know it. You've never been near a battlefield in your life." The utter lack of respect Adam felt for Lord Randal was clear in his voice.

"I have the king's ear and we both know it. Don't push me or you'll regret it," Lord Randal warned.

He turned and started toward the door at the other end of the stable and Tommy peeked at him from around the side of the beam, heart hammering in his chest. Adam had to do _something_. Slave or not, there was no way Tommy was going to allow Lord Randal anywhere near his horse.

Just when Tommy was giving up hope, Adam's voice rang out in the stable, stopping Lord Randal in his tracks. "I wonder how long that will last, Randal."

Lord Randal stopped and turned back. "How long what will last?"

Tommy watched as Adam walked over, eyes flashing with anger and intent. "You, having the king's ear. Once I tell him of your dalliances with Simon, that is."

Lord Randal's face reddened in rage. "How did you…" Lord Randal's mouth snapped shut and it was clear from his expression he realized he'd just given himself away. "You wouldn't."

Adam's smile was cold. "I would."

Lord Randal glared at Adam for several seconds before turning and marching out without another word.

Tommy watched from his vantage point as Adam took a deep breath and exhaled, then looked over and said, "You can come out now."

Cheeks heating in embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping, Tommy stepped out from behind the beam and explained, "I didn't think my presence would help much."

Adam nodded. "You were right."

Tommy glanced at the door Lord Randal had disappeared through, then back at Adam and said, "Thank you, My Lord. I don't know what I'd do if he got his hands on Wild."

"I won't let that happen. That man is the last person that should be allowed anywhere near a horse as fine as Wild," Adam said, looking disgusted at the thought.

Tommy started toward Wild. "That is one thing I do not miss about being royalty."

"What?" Adam asked.

Tommy nodded toward the door. "Dealing with men like him."

Adam chuckled lightly, then sobered, studying Tommy curiously. "I don't know that I'd be so accepting in your position."

Tommy shrugged as he reached out and petted Wild's neck. "What was my other choice? Daily whippings? The dungeon? Death?"

"Death," Adam said grimly. "The last king demoted to slave by my uncle lasted little more than a week before Uncle Gregory grew weary of his refusal to obey orders and had him beheaded."

Tommy blew out a breath. "See? Not so hard to accept my lot in life when that's the alternative."

"I suppose not," Adam conceded.

Changing the subject, Tommy asked, "Ready for me to take him out of his stall?"

Adam nodded and stood off to the side where Wild would be able to see him. "Go ahead."

Tommy walked Wild out to the middle of the room. "Did you bring the sugar cubes?"

"Yes," Adam said, pulling some from a satchel at his waist.

Tommy nodded. "Good. Don't give him any until he gentles for you."

Adam chuckled. "And you're back to orders."

Tommy met Adam's gaze with arched eyebrows. "You did give me leave yesterday, did you not?"

Adam smiled. "Yes, you impertinent imp, I did."

Tommy smiled back, enjoying Adam's joking demeanor and his smile. He decided he could get used to it.

For the next while they worked together with Wild, getting the horse used to Adam's voice and his touch, until finally, when it was nearing the midday meal, Wild allowed Adam to pet him with Tommy all the way across the room.

"He really makes you work for it, doesn't he?" Adam asked, tone admiring.

Tommy smiled proudly, even as pain twisted his gut at the reminder that Wild was no longer his. He just had to keep reminding himself it was only temporary. Once Monte contacted him and Tommy did what he had to do to free his kingdom, Wild would be his once again.

"He does," Tommy said, trying not to think about what he'd be forced to do to Adam in order to reclaim his kingdom. "It's well worth it once you earn his trust, though, and you're on your way."

Adam looked over at Tommy. "This is hard for you, isn't it?"

Tommy swallowed and looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it if it's all the same to you."

"All right," Adam said. After another few minutes of petting, he stepped away from Wild and crossed to Tommy, stopping a few feet away. "I'll expect you to exercise him daily as part of your duties, understand?"

Getting that they were back in prince/slave roles and that Adam was doing everything he could to give Tommy time with Wild, Tommy nodded and said, "Yes, My Lord. It will be my first priority."

Adam looked around the stable and sighed. "You'll have to keep at least some of the cleaning duties, though. There's no way around it since it was the king's orders. It's too bad, really, because you're obviously good with horses. It's a shame I can't just put you in charge of all the ones in this stable."

Tommy looked around, feeling a pain of regret at that. "I would have liked that, yes."

The next week flew by in a blur of time spent taking care of Wild, getting Wild to trust Adam, and cleaning duties. Tommy fell into bed exhausted at night, and dragged himself out of it sore and nowhere near rested enough in the morning.

All of that disappeared, though, whenever he climbed onto Wild's back and took up the reins. When Tommy was riding Wild, the world—his aches and pains, his worry for his kingdom and his family—fell away and all Tommy thought about was the sun kissing his skin and the wind in his face as he worked Wild up to a gallop around the field near the stables.

He was just finishing one last lap when he spotted Adam trotting across the field on his own horse. Tommy smiled and slowed Wild to a fast walk, waiting for Adam to catch up. It was becoming routine, Adam riding with him, although today he hadn't shown up on time. Tommy had wanted to wait, but knew he couldn't, considering all the other chores he had to attend to before he ate.

When Adam's horse fell into step with Wild, Tommy teased, "You're late."

"And you're not even going to attempt to remember our roles today, I see," Adam teased back.

Tommy chuckled. "There's no one else to hear, and if you were going to take me to task for it in private, you would have long before now, I'm thinking."

Adam sighed dramatically. "And here I thought men feared me."

Tommy glanced over at him and joked, "They do. I'm not most men, though."

Adam's blue gaze was surprisingly intent as he replied, "No, Tommy, you're definitely not."

Uncomfortable with the sudden scrutiny, Tommy looked out over the field instead. "It's a beautiful day."

Adam took the hint and glanced up at the sky. "Yes, but there are clouds in the distance. I'm guessing we'll be seeing rain by nightfall."

Tommy nodded. "It's just as well. I heard talk it's been dry this summer so far, and the crops aren't faring as well as past years."

Adam looked over at Tommy. "Do you have any idea how much you sounded like a king worrying for his kingdom just then?"

Tommy blinked. "Did I? I was only making conversation."

"Hmm," Adam responded. "But yes, you are right. There's been some concern. Hopefully the rain will make it here and put it to rest."

Tommy nodded and changed the subject. "You missed Wild's run."

"It was unavoidable. The king insisted on my presence at a meeting with the lady in charge of one of our nearby holdings. I believe you know her. Lady Camila?"

Hearing her name brought back with jarring clarity the battle, his father's death, and their subsequent defeat.

In a cooler voice than he'd intended, Tommy asked, " _Lady_ Camila? I'd just assumed you enslaved her and all in her manor."

Adam shook his head. "My uncle was never after her. It was just a ruse to get to you and your father."

Tommy tensed at hearing Adam speak so matter-of-factly about it, and then the wording Adam had used registered.

Looking over at him, Tommy said, "Your uncle? What about you? You led the attack."

Adam frowned and stopped his horse, grabbing Wild's reins when Tommy showed no sign of stopping on his own.

Tensely, Tommy said, "I have to keep walking him to cool him down. Stopping now isn't good for him."

Adam ignored Tommy's statement and stared hard at him. "You blame me for your father's death, then?"

Tommy held Adam's gaze for a long moment before finally dropping his own. He stared at the reins Adam was holding in his hand and admitted, "No. I blame the king." Tommy lifted his eyes and met Adam's again. "Talking about it just brings back memories I'd sooner forget."

Adam released Wild's reins and Tommy started off again, expecting Adam to fall back into step, which he did.

"I understand. It's probably a subject we should avoid."

"Probably," Tommy agreed, hating the sudden chill between them.

For a few moments they rode in silence, and then Adam said, "I saw Jeffery today."

Tommy perked up at that, looking over at Adam. "How is he?"

"He's fine. He misses you. I was thinking about bringing him around, maybe tomorrow."

"Why's that?" Tommy asked, trying not to sound too excited at the prospect. He had a giant soft spot for Jeffery.

"I want to see if Wild warms to him, and if he does, maybe you could train Jeffery in how to care for him, for the times you can't, like if you fall ill or if you were to get injured or something. We really need a fallback person so the issue of putting Wild down doesn't come up again and I just have this feeling Jeffery would be the perfect candidate."

Tommy considered that and nodded. "I think that would be a good idea."

Adam smiled. "It's settled then." He paused, then added, "He asked after you, by the way. You've made quite an impression on him. I think he considers you a hero."

Tommy snorted. "Some hero. I almost got myself whipped and tossed in the dungeon."

"Exactly. Not many slaves would have put themselves on the line like that for another."

Tommy shifted in his saddle. "Yes, well, I was only a week out from being king at the time. I didn't think much on the fact that I'm no longer allowed to defend myself or others. It's a hard mindset to adjust to."

"And now?" Adam asked.

Tommy frowned. "Now what?"

"If you happened across that same situation with another nobleman and a slave you barely know, would you turn and walk away? Or handle it the exact same way?"

Tommy bit his bottom lip, then sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "I'd handle it the same way."

Adam chuckled and shook his head a little. "Thomas Joseph Ratliff. What am I going to do with you?"

Tommy ignored the way his stomach fluttered at Adam using his full name with such exasperated affection in his voice, and grinned at him. "You're going to race me to the other end of the exercise yard and I'm going to beat you because Wild's far superior to your horse."

Adam grinned in return. "You're on."

They made it to the other end of the yard in record time, Tommy winning just like he'd predicted. They laughed and ribbed each other good-naturedly all the way back to the stables. When they came upon Richard checking over one of the other horses just outside of it, Richard gave Tommy a strange look.

Tommy dismounted and bid goodbye to Adam, who turned his horse around and galloped back out to the exercise yard. As Tommy led Wild past Richard, Richard's voice stopped him cold.

"It looks like you're striking up quite the friendship with the prince."

Tommy turned and looked over at Richard, trying to figure out what he was getting at. "I'm a slave; he's royalty. We're not friends, no. We can't be."

Richard studied him for a moment before saying, "Yes, but not all that long ago you would have been his equal. His better, even."

Tommy stared at Richard. "Is there something you're trying to say, sir?"

Richard tilted his head to the side slightly and asked in return, "Are you even aware you addressed him informally right in front of me? And ribbed him about the quality of his horse versus _yours_? Need I remind you that according to the laws of the realm, the horse isn't yours because you're a slave and own nothing, not even yourself?"

Tommy's gut clenched and he was pretty sure his face drained of color. "I … did?"

Richard nodded. "Don't misunderstand me. I've known Prince Adam since he was a child and I have deep affection and respect for him. If he has no problem with how you address him or with you thinking of the horse as yours still, neither do I. There are others, though, who would not see it that way."

Tommy bit his bottom lip. "You mean like the rest of the royal family and the king's husband."

Richard shook his head. "I know Prince Neil nearly as well as Prince Adam and I doubt very much he'd care if Prince Adam doesn't, but the king and his husband are another matter, along with a fair portion of the nobility around here, some of whom use this stable also."

Tommy exhaled slowly, knowing he'd been careless. Extremely so. "You're right. I'll watch myself better in the future, sir."

Richard nodded. "See that you do." He paused, then added gruffly, "There isn't anyone else who can handle that horse and I'd rather not have to put it down. It's much too fine an animal for that."

Tommy offered Richard a small smile. "Thank you."

Richard smiled back. "You're welcome. Now get going. The stables aren't going to clean themselves."

The next day, Adam showed up with Jeffery as planned, and just as Adam had suspected, Wild took fairly well to Jeffery. Much faster than he'd taken to Adam, in fact.

Adam laughed as Jeffery got Wild to come to him in the middle of the stable without much effort. "I think we've found a helper for you, Tommy. He's a natural."

Tommy grinned. "I agree. I'll need to teach him the basics, of course, and how to ride."

Adam nodded, then turned to Jeffery. "Would you like that? Or would you prefer to stay in the kitchens?"

Tommy's eyes widened a little and Jeffery blinked at Adam in shock. "You're … giving me a choice, My Lord?"

Tommy understood Jeffery's surprise. Giving a slave a choice in his duties just wasn't done. Even as comfortable and informal as he'd become with Adam, it still surprised Tommy to a degree.

Adam nodded. "I need to trust those in charge of my newest horse, and assigning someone the task who doesn't want the duty would be foolish at best."

Jeffery relaxed at that, accepting the explanation. Tommy, however suspected there was more to it, like the fact that the more he got to know Adam, the more he was finding he was a good, caring, kind person. Tommy looked away, busying himself as he tried not to think about what he was honor bound to do once Monte got word to him.

"I would like very much to help out with your horse, My Lord," Jeffery answered.

Adam grinned at both of them. "It's settled, then."

Tommy forced himself to return the grin, not wanting Adam to pick up on his sudden mood shift and question him. "Thank you, My Lord. I'll be glad for the help."

The next couple of weeks passed quickly with Tommy teaching Jeffery to ride on another horse—they hadn't attempted it on Wild yet—and taking care of Wild, along with getting Wild to accept both him and Adam. Currently, Jeffery was off on an errand for Richard, who had taken to the boy as if he was a son, another thing that endeared Richard to Tommy.

"I think it's time," Tommy said, somewhat reluctantly.

Adam blinked. "Time?"

"For you to try to ride Wild," Tommy explained.

Adam studied Tommy for a long moment. "Are you sure?"

Tommy bit his bottom lip. On the one hand, he _was_ sure. Wild willingly went to Adam now when Adam called him, and didn't shy away when Adam touched him. In fact, Adam seemed to be able to calm him almost as well as Tommy could.

On the other hand, the minute Adam climbed in the saddle and Wild _didn't_ throw him, was the minute Tommy's morning sessions with Adam ended. Adam wouldn't need his help with Wild anymore. True, Tommy would still be taking care of the horse and exercising him when Adam couldn't, but they wouldn't need to meet every morning like they had been.

That was a good thing, Tommy tried to tell himself. He'd allowed himself to become much too relaxed and comfortable around Adam. At some point he'd started to see Adam as a person, not just an obstacle. He needed to get some perspective back, needed to remember that he and Adam weren't friends, they were enemies. He'd _surrendered_ to the man. How he'd gotten to the point of looking forward to conversations and horseback rides with him, Tommy would never know. He just knew it needed to stop if he had any hope of fulfilling his mission when the time came.

"I'm sure," Tommy said finally. "It's time."

Adam nodded, looking over at Wild. "All right, then."

Once Wild was saddled and ready to go, Tommy guided him over to the gate leading to the yard and stopped, holding the reins out to Adam. When Adam took them, Tommy stepped back and watched, his heart breaking a little as it drove home the point that Wild was no longer his, he was Adam's now and Tommy was only allowed to care for him as long as it suited Adam.

Adam glanced at Tommy briefly, then grabbed hold of the saddle, put his foot in the stirrup, and mounted Wild. For several seconds it was as if time stood still. Tommy held his breath as he and Adam waited for Wild's reaction. Wild shied to the side and whinnied a little, but Adam just reached out to pet his neck, talking to him in a low, soothing voice. After a minute, Wild settled and dropped his head, blowing out.

Adam looked over at Tommy, a huge smile on his face. "It worked. He's accepting me."

Tommy swallowed and nodded. "I think he's ready for a ride, My Lord."

Adam shot him a look, clearly wondering at the formal address considering no one else was within earshot, but he didn't comment on it, just nodded, smiled at Tommy again, then turned Wild and started out toward the yard.

Tommy watched him for several minutes before it hurt too much and he had to walk back inside the stable and start attending his other duties.

Ever since his ride on Wild that morning, Adam had been in an amazing mood. The horse was nothing short of perfection. The only dark spot had been the fact that Tommy hadn't been anywhere to be found when Adam got back to the stable with Wild. Adam understood, though. He'd seen the pain in Tommy's eyes when he'd handed over the reins. It had been almost enough to make Adam back down and not try to ride the horse. The only problem with that was that it was a very real possibility that at some point Gregory might come around, inquiring after the horse, and if he found out it wasn't being put to use, he might very likely decide it was a waste of feed and labor and order the horse put down. As hard as it had to be for Tommy to watch someone else take complete possession of the horse he loved, Adam knew it would be much worse for him to watch the horse be put down.

The fact that Tommy's emotions mattered so much to Adam was … a little alarming, to say the least. The circumstances hadn't changed. Politics with the king were tricky at best and Adam needed to stay on top of that. This thing with Tommy and the horse was a distraction Adam couldn't afford. He knew that, and even if he hadn't, Neil had no qualms about pointing it out to him. More than once.

So why couldn't Adam leave well enough alone? Why did he involve himself with the whole mess? The answer was simple. More and more he was finding himself smitten with Tommy. The time they'd spent together getting Wild used to Adam had only served to reinforce Adam's interest.

Simply put, Tommy fascinated Adam. He was a mix of contradictions that should have put Adam off, but instead, it somehow all worked together and made Tommy who he was. On the one hand, Tommy had eased into slavery without too many bumps along the way, but on the other hand, when Tommy was handling Wild and teaching Adam how to approach the horse, there was no doubt Tommy was in total control. It was easy to see he'd been groomed for leadership. It sat surprisingly well on his shoulders.

Another, more frustrating contradiction was the information Neil had gathered for Adam, that Tommy had never, to anyone's knowledge, had sex with a man, implying his interests lay solely with females. Yet, whenever he spotted Adam, Adam would swear his face lit up. And when they were dealing with the horse, Tommy would stand just a little closer than strictly necessary. Unless Adam had lost his ability to read people, there were even times when they were teasing each other that Tommy was—for lack of a better description—flirting with him.

It was disconcerting because Adam couldn't figure out where the line was with Tommy, and therefore found himself regularly having to resist the impulse to pull Tommy to him and kiss him … among other things. There were times Adam would swear Tommy wanted it too, but then other times it appeared Tommy was completely oblivious to his affect on Adam or the undercurrent flowing between them.

"Adam," Neil said firmly.

Adam blinked, shrugging off his musings about Tommy to focus on Neil as they sat and waited for the rest of the family to sit down at the table for their evening meal.

"Sorry. My mind drifted."

Neil stared at him for a long moment before saying, "Why don't you just bed him and be done with it? All this doe-eyed business is distracting you from matters that need your attention."

Adam sighed, not even bothering to pretend he didn't know who Neil was talking about. "I would if I knew he'd be receptive. I can't figure him out, Neil."

Neil frowned. "Is he playing games with you?"

Adam shook his head. "I don't think so. Not intentionally, anyway. He's just … very hard to read, and for me, that's saying something."

Neil nodded his agreement. "As someone who could never trick you into anything, I can attest to that. It's a very well-developed trait of yours, and incredibly annoying."

Adam chuckled. "It's not my fault you're so transparent. I don't need well-developed anything to read you like a book, brother."

Neil _humphed_ just as his wife, Jeni, crossed to the table and took a seat next to him.

"Are you boys getting along?" she teased.

Neil rolled his eyes at her. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call us that?"

Jeni arched an eyebrow. "You can _tell_ me until you're blue in the face, my love, but considering you're not in charge of me, you can be sure I will continue to do so as long as it amuses me."

"Adam," Neil said in a put upon voice, "when you take over as king, I fully expect you to hand down a ruling that does, in fact, put me in charge of her."

Adam laughed. "Why would I do that when this is so much more amusing?"

Jeni beamed at him. "And this is why you're my favorite brother-in-law."

That was a running joke between them, as was Adam's response. "I'm your _only_ brother-in-law."

Jeni laughed and gave the expected retort. "Exactly."

They talked and jested with each other until Gregory showed up with Randal and a decided chill fell over the table, as it always did. Minutes later, the bowls and platters of food were brought to the table, and everyone started to reach for something, until Gregory's voice gave them all pause.

"Stop."

Adam frowned. "What is it, Uncle?"

"We are waiting on someone," was all Gregory would say.

A moment later, blond hair caught Adam's eye and Adam looked over toward the entrance to the great hall that led out to the courtyard. There, wedged between two guards who had their hands on his arms in what looked like bruising grips, was Tommy, looking pissed off.

Adam had to fight not to tense up. He wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever it was, Adam knew that showing his uncle that Tommy was someone who mattered to him would be a big mistake.

The guards didn't stop until they were next to the table, standing between Adam and his uncle. They carelessly shoved Tommy to his knees and bowed to the king.

"Here he is, Your Highness, as ordered."

Gregory looked down at Tommy with a superior expression on his face, then over at the guards. "Very well. You may wait nearby to take him back to his duties once I'm done with him."

The guards walked off and Adam could see Tommy was itching to say something, but being a slave, he didn't dare speak until spoke to unless he wanted to be lashed.

In his own good time, Gregory looked over at Adam and said, "He is to resume tasting duties, and you are to resume feeding him."

Adam's eyebrows shot up. "Has there been a threat I should be made aware of, Uncle?"

Gregory shrugged. "Nothing specific. I just found I rather liked the extra security of someone testing the food first."

Adam looked down at Tommy when Gregory looked away. He tried to convey with his expression that he hadn't known anything about this, but he wasn't sure if the message got through. Tommy looked like he was about to explode. He was very nearly vibrating with it. Adam didn't think he'd ever seen him this angry, except maybe on the battlefield.

He wondered at it. That is, until Lady Camila and her entourage were escorted over, being given the honor of dining with the royal family for the evening. As soon as she was announced and had taken her seat, Tommy's shoulders slumped and his gaze dropped to the floor, his face turning red. In that moment, Adam detested his uncle more than ever. He'd done this purposely to humiliate Tommy, and from the looks of it, it had worked.

Adam glanced over at Camila and noted that she looked miserable too, and was looking everywhere but at Tommy. From the look on her face and Tommy's reaction to being forced to do this in front of her, Adam figured out quickly enough that there had been more of a relationship between Tommy and Camila than prince and subject. At the very least, they had been friends, and at the most … Adam shied away from the idea, finding he didn't much care for the thought of them as lovers: one time, occasional, or otherwise.

"Well?" Gregory inquired of Adam impatiently.

Adam blinked, realizing everyone was waiting on him to begin the testing. Picking up a small spoonful of some nameless dish Adam knew Tommy didn't care much for, he fed him under the watchful gaze of his uncle. When after a few bites, Gregory got bored and turned to Randal to discuss something or other, Adam quickly reached for the chive potatoes he knew from experience Tommy loved so much, and scooped up a heaping spoonful.

Their eyes met as Tommy opened his mouth, and suddenly Tommy was blushing again, although Adam wasn't completely sure it was from the humiliation of being made to kneel and be fed food in front of Camila. If Adam didn't know better, he'd think Tommy was actually flustered at being fed by him.

Considering Tommy had never reacted that way before, Adam wasn't sure what to make of it, until he put himself in Tommy's place and realized it was different now. They knew each other a lot better than they had the last time they'd been in this position. That fact alone had to make this harder on Tommy. That in mind, Adam tried to move quickly so Tommy would be allowed to leave.

Not soon enough it was over and Gregory motioned the guards over to take Tommy back to his duties in the stables. Adam watched him go, wishing he could go after him. That would lead to too many questions, though, so he stayed where he was, glancing over at Camila, who was staring after Tommy's retreating back with moist eyes. Whatever their relationship, it was obvious she cared for him a great deal. Adam didn't even try to sort out the conflicting emotions that thought caused.

After the evening meal, Adam was standing on the balcony off the upper level of the great hall, staring out at the night sky, when Neil walked up beside him.

"You're a fool."

Adam glanced over at Neil. "Thanks. I think highly of you, too."

Neil snorted. "No. I mean it. If you can't read the look in Thomas's eyes when he looks at you, you're a fool."

Adam frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Neil sighed in exasperation. "Thomas is interested, Adam. _Very_ interested. Whether he's acknowledged that to himself or not is another matter."

Adam shook his head. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Neil shrugged. "Take it or leave it, but I think you're just too close to the situation to see it for yourself. Ask Jeni. She saw it too. She's already scheming up ways to get the two of you together.

Adam tensed. "Get the two of us… Tommy is a _slave_ , Neil. We can't get together beyond a tryst here and there."

"Tommy, hmm? Who's idea was it for you to call him that?"

"His," Adam admitted grudgingly.

Neil looked over at Adam and asked, "And what does he call you? Because knowing you, I somehow doubt it's Prince Adam or My Lord."

Adam scowled, not liking how easily Neil was reading the situation. "When we're alone, I … gave him leave to call me Adam."

Neil chuckled. "And you truly do not see what's going on here?" Neil turned and rested a hand on Adam's shoulder. "You're courting him, dear brother. Slave or not."

Adam shook his head. "You're insane. I'm doing no such thing. And even if I was—which I'm _not_ —it would be pointless. He's not just a typical slave I could free on a whim. He's a spoil of war. Only a king can free him from that, and we both know about how likely that is to happen."

"There are ways for the two of you to be together, other than stolen trysts," Neil ventured. "Him becoming your pleasure slave comes to mind."

Adam tensed and jerked away from Neil's hand, which had still been on his shoulder. "You know very well I don't keep my own slaves, Neil."

Neil stared at Adam. "Not even one who's willing? Just as a cover if nothing else?"

"He's a slave. By definition, he has no will."

Neil rolled his eyes. "Yes, but you've already admitted he calls you Adam. I'm assuming it doesn't stop there, does it? I'm sure you went to great lengths to make sure he feels comfortable speaking freely to you, didn't you?"

"Yes," Adam bit out.

"So it would follow that you could trust him to answer honestly if you asked him, instead of him saying whatever he thought he had to say to stay out of trouble."

Adam stared at Neil, wondering why that hadn't occurred to him before. Neil was right. Tommy did feel free to say whatever was on his mind around him. He _could_ trust Tommy to tell him the truth. That is, provided Neil and Jeni were right about the rest of it. Adam wasn't sure he was willing to take that chance. If he made the proposal to Tommy and Tommy turned him down, he would risk losing the easy conversations they were able to have now.

"I'll … think about it," Adam finally responded.

"Don't take too long," Neil said, pushing away from the low wall of the balcony that he'd been leaning against. "You need to resolve this one way or the other so you can get back to the matter at hand, keeping one step ahead of our dear uncle."

Adam ran a hand over his face. "I know. I know. I'll make a decision soon."


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Tommy was still fuming over what the king had forced him to do at the evening meal. Movements short and jerky with anger, Tommy got Wild ready for his ride. Richard had tracked him down and told him Adam would be unable to attend to the horse himself due to pressing matters, so it was up to Tommy.

Normally, Tommy would have been thrilled that he was getting to ride Wild again, but the humiliation of being made to kneel in front of Cam was still fresh in his mind. It hadn't helped that she hadn't even been able to look him in the eye, or that she'd looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. In addition, it had been … uncomfortable, to say the least, to have to kneel in front of Adam and have Adam feed him after all the time they'd spent together over the last few weeks, and the fact that he'd been allowed to think of Adam as an equal most of that time.

The funny feeling in the pit of his stomach hadn't helped, either. It confused him, to say the very least. He'd noticed he'd been feeling it more and more when Adam was around, but it didn't make sense to him. It was along the lines of what he felt for women he was interested in, but different, too. He just didn't understand it. He'd never had any inclination toward men before and he didn't understand why Adam—of all people—had to be any different.

If it had been anyone else besides a man he would be forced to kill in the near future, Tommy would have embraced the attraction he was feeling and given it a try. He'd never been one to shy away from something new, and in fact, had earned somewhat of a reputation when he was younger and wilder for being willing to try anything once.

Tommy had just gotten Wild saddled when a familiar voice behind him made him tense.

"Hi, Tommy."

Tommy turned to face Adam, eyes narrowing at the abashed expression on his face. "There were no pressing matters, were there?"

Adam shrugged. "No, but after the meal last night, I assumed you'd make sure you weren't around when I got here otherwise."

Tommy's jaw clenched and unclenched as he fought the urge to tell Adam what he thought of his trickery. Regardless of the fact that Adam had given him leave to treat him like an equal when they were alone, though, Tommy was sure there were limits. He really didn't want to find out the hard way that he was right.

Exhaling, Tommy stepped away from Wild and said coolly, "He's all yours. I'll be off to my other duties now."

"No," Adam said, stepping forward.

Tommy hesitated. Adam hadn't asserted his authority over him for weeks, but that had sounded like an order.

"No?" he asked, needing the clarification.

"No," Adam repeated. That time it was unmistakably an order. "You will stay and exercise Wild as you were instructed."

Tommy tensed and bit out, "Yes, My Lord."

Turning away so Adam wouldn't see how livid he was, Tommy swung himself up into the saddle, his tunic hitching up over his riding leggings. Without another word, he trotted Wild past Adam and out of the stable.

Tommy was well into his third lap around the field when Adam cut across it on his warhorse and matched his stride. Tommy refused to look at or acknowledge Adam until Adam tried to speak to him, and then all Tommy did was urge Wild on to full speed, knowing Adam's horse couldn't keep up.

He knew he was being childish and flirting with punishment if Adam was of a mind to take him to task for it, but just then Tommy didn't really care. He was pissed off and running on next to no sleep since all he'd done was toss and turn on his mat the night before, the chain connecting his shackled ankle to the wall rattling enough to earn angry comments from the slaves around him. And now it appeared Adam had rescinded the privilege of allowing Tommy to treat him as an equal. It was all just a little too much.

Adam cut across the field and caught up to Tommy again. This time he gave a sharp, unmistakable order for Tommy to stop. Tommy's only recourse was to obey or face punishment. Reluctantly, he reined Wild in and waited, staring down at the ground while Adam trotted over.

"I didn't have anything to do with you being forced to test the food last night."

Having expected the first words out of Adam's mouth to be a reprimand of some kind, Tommy was surprised enough by what Adam did say to look up and meet his gaze.

Frowning, Tommy said, "I know that."

Adam's mouth turned down into a frown also. "Then why are you angry with me?"

Tommy blinked. "Permission to speak freely, My Lord?"

Adam waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and said impatiently, "Yes, of course."

"You tricked me into meeting you in the stable, not to mention the fact that you're apparently back to giving orders, which, to be honest, doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If you want to order me about, why not just demand I meet you in the stable in the first place instead of resorting to lies to get me there?"

Adam stared steadily at Tommy as he replied, "I didn't actually intend on giving you any orders when I walked in. I just didn't want you to leave before we could talk. And I did intend for you to ride Wild today. I thought we could ride together like we did before Wild allowed me on his back. I know it's only been a few days, but I miss our talks."

Put like that, Tommy found he couldn't stay angry. He'd missed their talks, too, and Adam seemed sincere enough…

Tommy exhaled and offered Adam a tentative smile. "I apologize. I didn't sleep much last night and I was in a bad mood long before you admitted to tricking me into meeting you."

Adam nodded and motioned toward the field. "Shall we?"

Tommy signaled Wild, who started walking.

Adam's horse fell into step and they walked in silence for a few moments before Adam asked, "You're angry with my uncle, aren't you?"

Tommy shot him a sidelong look. "Being angry with a king isn't allowed."

Adam rolled his eyes. "It's just us. Forget I'm a prince and talk to me."

Tommy bit his bottom lip, but in the end had to trust Adam meant it. He hadn't used anything Tommy had told him against him so far. "Yes, I'm angry with him. He's a complete bastard and if I could run him through with a sword, I would."

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath as soon as the words were out, unable to quite believe he'd said them. It was one thing to express anger toward the king in confidence, but quite another to threaten his life.

Adam, though, surprised him by throwing his head back and laughing.

Tommy scowled. "I don't see what's so funny. I just gave you all the ammunition you need to have me beheaded. Unintentionally, I might add. I'm usually better at holding my tongue than that."

Adam smiled at him, eyes dancing with mirth. "I'm laughing because you, Thomas Joseph, are a breath of fresh air." Tommy looked at Adam like he'd lost his mind, prompting Adam to lean in close and grab Wild's reins, stopping both their horses as he said in a conspiratorial voice, "I've got a confession."

Tommy stared into Adam's eyes, Adam's face suddenly so close that all Tommy would have to do would be to lean in a little himself and they'd be kissing.

Somewhat breathlessly, he asked, "What's that?"

"There have been many, many times I've wanted to run him through with a sword also." Adam straightened and his grin widened. "There. Now you have just as much ammunition on me as I have on you."

Tommy rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the grin that crept across his face. "As if anyone would take the word of a slave over a prince."

Adam reached out and touched Tommy's shoulder, waiting until Tommy looked over at him to say seriously, "I hope you know it would never come to that. You _can_ trust me."

Tommy swallowed, nodding his head. "I know, and I appreciate that."

Eventually, Tommy broke the stare and they started walking the horses again. "The soldiers taunted me when they came to get me. The king had told them he wanted me there to humiliate me in front of Cam."

Adam cursed. "I'd apologize for my uncle, but it would be pointless. You're right, he is a bastard." Adam paused, then asked, "Cam? You and Lady Camila are on a nickname basis?"

Tommy glanced over at Adam, bemused. "Yes. We grew up in the castle together. She was an orphan and her manor was in trust until she came of age. I've never hated your uncle more than I did last night for what he put her through."

Adam's eyebrows lifted. "What he put her through? What about you?"

Tommy shrugged. "I can handle it. I just can't stand seeing her near tears and having to keep quiet instead of being able to speak her mind."

"You're protective of her."

Tommy looked over at Adam, taking in the closed off expression on his face. Confused by it, he asked, "Is there something wrong with that?"

Adam shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure out what your relationship with her was."

Tommy blinked. It almost sounded like Adam… Tommy shied away from the thought. If Adam was interested in him, that would make Tommy's attraction to Adam that much harder to ignore. In short, it would complicate _everything_.

Hoping he was wrong, Tommy said carefully, "At one time, we were betrothed."

It was impossible to miss the way Adam tensed at that. Damn.

"At one time?" Adam inquired.

"Yes," Tommy said. "Our parents were good friends. When we were old enough, though, we exercised our right to break it. On my part, because she's like a sister to me. On her part, because she fell in love with Leisha, a servant in the next manor over. They were married last fall."

Adam exhaled, obviously happy with that turn of events. "Oh. I didn't know she had a wife. She didn't say."

"She's probably keeping it quiet because she doesn't want the king to be aware of Leisha. Leisha's not technically a lady, so the king would be within his rights to denounce the marriage my father approved."

"Yes, and he probably would, especially after seeing the reaction you and Camila had toward each other at the table last night. He would know it would anger you. As it is, Camila tried to take leave today, but my uncle forbade it. He said she had to stay for at least one more night, so expect to be called for testing again tonight."

Tommy sighed. "I figured as much. Just make sure there are no sharp objects within my reach, will you? I won't be responsible for my actions if there are."

Adam snorted. "If it wouldn't mean your death, I'd make sure every knife at the table was available to you."

Tommy chuckled. "I'm getting the impression you really don't like him."

Adam shook his head, his mouth pressed into a thin line. "I really don't. I don't agree with many of his rulings, and the way he treats those around him sickens me."

Just then, Tommy caught sight of Jeffery near the entrance to the stable and decided a change of subject was in order. "Jeffery's coming along nicely. With your permission, I'd like to try him out on Wild tomorrow."

"You don't need my permission," Adam said. "I trust your judgement on anything to do with Wild."

Tommy felt that fluttery thing in his stomach again and found himself flustered by it, and by the blanket permission. "Thank you. That … means a lot." Needing to lighten the mood, Tommy flashed Adam a grin and said, "Five laps around, full out? Loser has to take care of both horses after."

Adam returned the grin and kicked his horse into gear, taking off as he called over his shoulder, "You're on!"

Things were going well, Adam decided. Jeffery had successfully ridden Wild for the first time a few days ago, and Tommy was back to his usual calm self whenever Adam came around the stable. Camila had been allowed to leave the day after Adam's and Tommy's talk, so even though Gregory had ordered Tommy to the table to test the food one last time that same night, Tommy hadn't look ready to stab him, just eager to be getting some decent food in his stomach.

Things were going so well that Adam was giving serious consideration to Neil's suggestion about asking Tommy to be his pleasure slave. So, _of course_ that's when everything would implode. And implode it did, in a big, big way.

It was mid-morning and Gregory was holding court in the great hall from his throne, hearing complaints from villagers, sometimes against each other, sometimes having to do with the weather or the crops or whatnot. Adam was sitting in, as usual, and biting his tongue every time Gregory made a ruling that was completely wrong in Adam's opinion. Gregory had just sentenced a villager whose dog had trampled a small section of a neighbor's garden to a month in servitude of the neighbor—a punishment that far outweighed the slight to the neighbor in Adam's opinion—when there was a commotion near the door leading to the courtyard.

Adam looked up and his heart nearly stopped as he saw a strip of familiar blond hair sandwiched in between two large guards. The only reason Tommy would be dragged before the king in the middle of the morning was because he'd done something that warranted punishment.

As they got closer, though, and people moved out of the way so Adam could see more of Tommy's head than just the top of it, Adam saw that not only was Tommy in some kind of trouble, he'd been beaten. His face was bruised and his lip was cut and bloody. Tommy winced in pain every time one of the guards yanked him forward by his arm because he wasn't moving quickly enough to suit them.

When the trio reached the steps leading to the throne, Tommy was shoved to his knees.

Gregory looked from the guards to Tommy and back again. "What have we here?"

"He was caught trying to escape on one of the horses," the guard on the left, Ben, said.

Adam tensed, his eyes flying to Tommy, but Tommy wasn't looking at him. Instead, Tommy was staring at Gregory, jaw set and head tilted up defiantly.

"Which horse," Adam found himself asking, noting the way Tommy tensed further and also noting that Tommy continued to _not_ look at him.

"The one that wouldn't let anyone ride him until this slave came along," Ben said. "The white one."

Adam was dumbfounded, wondering if he could have possibly read Tommy that wrong. Had Tommy just been using him to get access to his horse so he could make a run for it? That question echoed through his head as his uncle spoke.

"And the bruises?" Gregory asked.

"He … put up a fight when we ran him down," Ben answered, apparently the spokesman for the two of them.

Adam's eyes narrowed on Ben. He was clearly lying. Besides the transparent expression on his face giving him away, Adam had seen Tommy fight. If he'd put up a fight, Ben and the other guard would have bruises as well. They didn't have a mark on them. More likely, Ben and the other guard had beaten Tommy just to make a point.

"What say you, slave?" Gregory asked.

For a moment, Tommy didn't answer. Long enough, in fact, for it to be considered an insult to the crown.

"I have nothing to say that you would believe, Your Highness," Tommy said eventually, contempt dripping from his voice.

Adam was torn between admiration at Tommy's boldness and the urge to slap some sense into him.

"Is that a fact?" Gregory asked. "Tell me anyway."

"I'd rather not waste my breath when you're going to punish me anyway, whether I'm guilty or not," Tommy threw back, eyes blazing defiantly.

By the gods, Adam thought to himself, eyes widening, it was as if Tommy was begging to be beheaded on the spot.

Unable to sit by and watch that very thing happen, Adam spoke, putting as much authority into his voice as he could manage with fear for Tommy coiling in his gut. "Watch your tongue, slave. He is your king. You would do well to remember that."

Tommy finally looked over at him, but his angry expression didn't soften in the least. "He may call himself my king, but I do not recognize him as such."

Adam was sure his heart stopped while he waited for his uncle's response to that, certain he was going to order Tommy's death for it.

Instead, Gregory said in an amused voice, "Is that so?"

Tommy returned his glare to him. "Yes, that is so."

Gregory's lips curled up into a cruel smile. "Let's see if you feel the same way after a week in the breaking yard."

Tommy's chin tilted up higher yet and he said boldly, "I will."

Gregory's smile widened. "Then I shall enjoy sentencing you to another week there, and another, until you cower before me like a proper slave and beg my forgiveness."

Tommy's eyes narrowed. "I can promise you that will never happen."

"Then you will die out there," Gregory said. Turning to the guards, he waved his hand. "Off with him. His sentence begins now."

Tommy gritted his teeth as he swung. Three days. Three days out in the hot sun breaking apart rocks with a pick axe. His shoulders and arms burned from the strain and his back wasn't fairing much better. Three days and already he had no idea how he was going to make it through the next couple of hours until sunset, let alone get up and do it all over again tomorrow. The beating he'd taken at the guards' hands hadn't helped. He'd already been sore and worn out when he'd arrived in the yard that first day. Now he was ready to drop. The only problem with that was that if he did, he'd be whipped, and the last thing he needed was more pain.

Jaw set, Tommy swung again and again, until his hands and arms went mostly numb. Just when he was sure he couldn't take another swing, the horn blew, signifying the end of the work day and the arrival of dinner, such as it was.

Tommy dropped the pick and bent over, bracing his hands on his knees, arms shaking as he took a deep breath and tried to stave off the nausea swirling through his gut. Deep down, he knew he shouldn't have bated the king that way, but he'd finally had it. Between Chadwick's jealous attack that had sent Wild bolting from the stable with Tommy on his back, the guards beating him soundly for supposedly trying to escape—never mind he and Wild had been headed in the opposite direction from the front gate—the fall of his kingdom, his father's death, the worry constantly coiling in his gut that something had happened to Monte given he hadn't heard from him since that day on the battlefield, and now the added complication of his apparent attraction to a man he would be forced to kill at some point in the future, Tommy had just … snapped.

He rarely lost his temper, but it had all just been too much. The note of accusation in Adam's voice, coupled with the suspicion in his eyes when Tommy had looked at him hadn't helped, either. He knew what Adam was thinking. He'd be thinking the same thing if the roles were reversed. It didn't make it sting any less, although it was probably just as well. Adam was right to not trust him. Maybe not for the reasons he thought, but provided Tommy found some way to get back inside the castle walls, he was going to murder Adam and his entire family in their sleep.

Tommy glanced around at the others walking over to the side of the yard where the line for dinner was forming. Reluctantly, he followed. Even though his stomach was screaming from hunger, he wasn't looking forward to whatever slop they were feeding them that day. It was always some variation of something formless and grainy. Something meant to fuel their bodies for the next day of grueling work, but nothing more. No taste, no texture, nothing. Just a glob on a plate and a piece of day old bread to sop it up with.

Tommy took his meal and sat by himself, as he'd done for every meal so far. The other slaves in the yard had been less than welcoming. They were a different class of slave than the ones in the stables or the kitchens. They were harder. Meaner. It made sense, since most of them were there for violent offenses.

There were plenty of his former countrymen—ones that had fought in the battle with him—that had been sentenced to yard duty too, but they were in a separate group that worked a different field. He'd no doubt been placed in the other group on purpose, to make sure his punishment was as unpleasant as possible.

As lonely as it was during the day, though, it was worse at night. The first night, he'd been surprised not to be shackled to the wall. The surprise hadn't lasted long, though, when he discovered that the reason was because the guards locked the room down so none of the slaves could try to escape. Tommy had felt alone and vulnerable in that room in the dark with so many angry men larger than himself, but he'd found an empty corner and laid down—no pallet anymore, either, just hard ground—and had been left alone.

Last night, though, he'd woken up to someone pawing at him. In the pitch black he had no idea who it had been, but he'd put a stop to it with a fist to the side of the guy's head. Today, though, he'd noticed—and was noticing again as he sat and ate—that several of the men were looking at him, checking him out, derision and something else, something that Tommy could admit made him nervous, in their eyes.

This time, however, he would be ready. He'd managed to hide one of the pick ends that had broken on him earlier in the day away under his tunic. The point was digging into his side, held in place by the belt that cinched his undergarment up around his waist, but it was worth it if it meant he could stop anyone from forcing themselves on him.

He was pretty sure they thought he'd be easily taken given his size, not to mention that even though he was a slave now, he'd been a prince before, and a king for a brief time, so overpowering him would be like getting revenge on all kings. He understood it, but that didn't mean he was going to lie back and take it. He figured that if he made a point with one or two of them, the rest would lay off. At least, he hoped so. He didn't look forward to having to fend off multiple attacks on a nightly basis.

When Tommy finished choking down his meal, he brought his plate up to the kitchen slaves who had been sent to the field with their food, then fell back in line. Just when they were about to depart for their sleeping quarters, Adam rode in on Wild.

Tommy tensed, suspecting that Adam was there for him. His suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Adam dismounted, said something to one of the guards, then pointed at Tommy.

The guard walked over and said, "You, go with him. You'll be taken to your bed after."

"Yes sir," Tommy said, heading over to Adam, even though that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Tommy stopped in front of Adam and bowed. "My Lord, you wanted to see me?"

Tommy met Adam's eyes and decided the angry look in them didn't bode well for him.

Instead of answering, Adam grabbed his arm and dragged him off toward the guard post, a small wooden building that kept them out of the elements when it rained or was windy. Tommy winced as Adam's hand clamped tightly over the bruises Tommy was still sporting from the other guards' manhandling days before, but he gritted his teeth, determined not to let it show. Adam roughly pushed him into the building and shut the heavy wooden door behind them. Tommy whirled around and Adam grabbed him by the front of his tunic and shoved him back against the wall next to the door.

"Tell me, _Tommy_ , did you enjoy making a fool of me?"

Tommy swallowed hard. He desperately wanted to tell Adam the truth, to set things right, but the ill advised pseudo-friendship they'd started had to end if he was to fulfill his duty to his kingdom, and what better way than this?

That in mind, he shoved at Adam's chest, managing to take him off guard, sending Adam stumbling back a couple of steps. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."

Hurt flashed through Adam's blue eyes. Tommy felt like a complete bastard because of it but he couldn't take it back now.

"I see," Adam said, voice quiet where seconds ago it had boomed with anger. "I'm glad I could amuse you, then."

Tommy swallowed against the lump in his throat and pasted a smirk on his face. "Tell me you didn't really believe we were friends? Not after you forced me to surrender my kingdom to you. Not after you brought me before your king and allowed him to enslave and humiliate me over and over. Not after my father died at one of your soldier's hands. Surely you're not that naïve."

Adam's eyes flashed with anger a second before he snarled and surged forward, pinning Tommy to the wall with a hand at his throat.

Tommy's instinct was to try to fight Adam off, but he couldn't bring himself to, the guilt at hurting Adam too great. Instead, he simply stood there and waited for Adam's next move.

Adam glared at him, face inches away, for a long moment. Suddenly, he released Tommy and backed up, the anger once again replaced by hurt. "I guess I am, at that."

Tommy exhaled silently, thinking it was over, but then Adam stepped forward again, crowding Tommy's space. He grabbed Tommy by the jaw and forced Tommy to look up into his eyes. Tommy would have sworn in that moment Adam was seeing into his soul. He just hoped whatever Adam saw there, he didn't see Tommy's true purpose for being there, or his true feelings for him. Either happening would be disastrous.

Adam's fingers tightened to the point of pain. "I don't know what game you were playing at, or what you thought to accomplish by it, but just know that I don't believe what you're saying now, either."

"Believe what you want," Tommy said. "It doesn't change what I did."

"No, it doesn't," Adam agreed. "What I want to know is why."

"That, you cannot force from me."

"I could have it whipped out of you," Adam said darkly.

Tommy's eyes narrowed and his hands balled into fists at his sides. "You could try."

Adam held him by the jaw for another moment, then abruptly released him and turned away. Just as he opened the door, he said over his shoulder, "I won't bother. You're not worth it."

Tommy slumped against the wall after Adam left and closed his eyes. He breathed in and out slowly, cursing the cold, heavy lump suddenly sitting in his gut.

Over the next few days, Tommy fended off several attacks, three of them the same night Adam had visited. Tommy came out the victor in all the battles, leaving each and every one of them bleeding on the floor of the slave quarters. The last, though, that had been the hardest won, against a very large, very determined slave named Fredrick. In the end, Tommy had made him bleed too, but Fredrick's stab wound hadn't been as serious as the others, so today he was back in the yard, hacking away at his batch of rocks and glaring at Tommy every chance he got.

Tommy cursed under his breath, only barely comforted by the pick still hidden away under his tunic. He was in for another fight tonight, he knew, and this time he wouldn't be surprised if Fredrick brought his own weapon to the battle; one Tommy wouldn't see coming in the pitch black.

Tommy swung his pick at the rock in front of him, only marginally satisfied as it finally cracked in half. The odds were against him beating Fredrick a second time, but he was determined to make it as hard as possible on Fredrick. He wouldn't go down easily.

Adam sat to the right of the throne, listening as once again his uncle sentenced someone to too harsh a punishment. As soon as the villager was dragged away, Adam turned to his uncle and said, "Maybe you were a bit too severe?"

Gregory pinned him with a glare. "You question my authority?"

Adam shook his head. "No, just your judgment."

On Gregory's other side, Randal sucked in a sharp breath.

Gregory's eyes narrowed. "That's the fifth time this week. Care to explain yourself?"

Adam returned the glare, feeling a bit reckless. "I watched my father rule with a heavy but _fair_ hand for years. I do not understand how you and he came from the same stock."

He knew he was pushing things, but ever since his confrontation with Tommy—correction, ever since Tommy had been dragged before the king and exposed for the liar he was—Adam's temper had been riding near the surface. He'd been snapping at the littlest of things, regardless of the fact that it was giving his uncle ample examples of why Adam should not be allowed to rule.

Gregory cocked his head to the side a little and said, "You were but a boy when he died and you've romanticized him. You give him far too much credit. He was just as ruthless as I."

Adam tensed. "I don't believe you."

Gregory shook his head. "It is I who don't believe you. If you cannot stomach the punishments for the crimes, maybe you're too soft to be king. Maybe I need to consider removing you from your position as heir apparent." Gregory paused and reached over next to him without looking away from Adam, placing his hand meaningfully on Randal's knee.

From Adam's other side, Neil spoke up. "That is a grave charge, Uncle, and one that would have to be proven before the sovereign."

"So it is," Gregory said, his gaze shifting past Adam to Neil. "But running a kingdom the size of Vox is a grave responsibility and it is my duty to make sure whoever takes over, either by birthright or at my death, is fit to rule."

"I am," Adam said emphatically.

"We shall see," Gregory said.

Tommy stepped into line for his evening meal, such as it was, and nearly ended up plastered face first against the man in front of him when he was shoved from behind. Eyes narrowing, Tommy turned to glare at the person behind him and found himself facing down Fredrick.

Fredrick smirked. "You should watch your step more closely."

"You should keep your hands to yourself," Tommy threw back.

"Fall in order!" one of the nearby guards shouted.

Reluctantly, Tommy turned his back on Fredrick, facing the front once again, only to stiffen as Fredrick pressed himself against Tommy's back.

Near Tommy's ear, Fredrick said in a low voice, "Prepare yourself for tonight. I won't let you best me again. And after I'm through with you, there are a few others who want a turn. If you're good for me, I'll lay claim to you. Otherwise, I'll let them all take a turn."

Tommy swallowed hard, closing his eyes briefly as dread settled in his stomach. The line shuffled forward a little and Tommy went with it, trying to get away from Fredrick, but Fredrick kept himself pressed against Tommy.

Tommy's breath caught in his throat when he felt a hand at the bottom edge of his tunic, near where he had his pick tucked away. The hand slid up and Tommy glanced over at the guard, only to find him watching the whole thing with a smirk. Great. He couldn't even count on them for help.

Fredrick's other hand reached around and blindly groped Tommy and that was it. Knowing there was no way his pride would let him submit and be 'good' for Fredrick like Fredrick wanted, Tommy realized it was either do something right then or end up passed around that night. Regardless of his duty to his people, he couldn't stomach the thought of the others taking turns at him night after night. He'd rather be put to death.

With that thought, Tommy waited until Fredrick had one hand under his tunic, pushing it up, while the other pawed at his dick. Quickly, so as to take Fredrick off guard, Tommy shoved an elbow back into his gut. When Fredrick grunted in pain and stumbled back a step, Tommy reached under his tunic and pulled his pick free. He whipped around and before the guard could reach him, shoved the pick straight into Fredrick's gut.

With a sick satisfaction he'd never experienced before, Tommy smirked as Fredrick's eyes went wide and his mouth opened on a gasp of pain and shock. Time stopped for a minute as they stood there, staring at each other, before it sped back up. There was shouting and shoving and an instant later, Tommy was on the ground, face first in the dirt, a foot in his back and another kicking at his ribs.

Finished with his meal, Adam excused himself and stood. He couldn't get away from the table and his uncle fast enough. He'd had about all he could stomach of him for the day. Before Adam took two steps, though, two guards burst into the hall, dragging Tommy between them. Adam tensed. Tommy was covered in dirt and blood and he wasn't so much walking between them as stumbling and wincing as he was dragged along.

Despite Adam's anger at him, he couldn't help the way his blood ran cold at the state Tommy was in or the implications of him being brought before the king _again_. Surely this time his uncle would decide enough was enough and have him beheaded. Surprisingly, even after everything, Adam found himself bothered greatly by that possibility.

When Tommy was shoved to his knees before Gregory's chair at the table, Gregory looked down at him with an arched eyebrow. "This is becoming a habit, slave." Looking at the guards, he asked, "What has he done now?"

"He was standing in line for the evening meal when he suddenly turned to the slave behind him—one of our best workers, at that—and stabbed him in the stomach, unprovoked. The other slave is dead."

"That is a lie," Tommy hissed.

Gregory pinned him with a look. "Not only are you speaking without permission, but that is a serious accusation, slave. Do you have any proof to back it up?"

"Only the other slaves present, who I doubt will tell you the truth of it, that Fredrick threatened me," Tommy said, suddenly sounding resigned.

Gregory's eyebrows shot up his forehead and he laughed. "So I am to believe there is a conspiracy against you, am I?"

Tommy shrugged. "You'll believe what you want. What I say makes no difference, I am sure."

Gregory nodded. "You are right in that, at least."

Gregory fell silent, pursing his lips, clearly considering what to do. Despite himself, Adam found he believed Tommy's story, if for no other reason than the mere fact that Tommy wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't have killed someone so publicly unless he'd felt he had no other choice. Adam thought about speaking up on Tommy's behalf, but held his tongue, fairly certain anything he said would be used against Tommy, considering his uncle's current opinion that Adam was soft-hearted.

At length, Gregory said, "You're leaving me with little option here, slave. You destroyed my property. That's punishable by death should I so choose."

Adam held his breath as he awaited the verdict, his gaze heavy on Tommy, who knelt with his chin tipped up defiantly, glaring at the king.

"I think I have another solution, though," Gregory said enigmatically. "One that would solve two problems."

Adam stared at his uncle, bemused, as Gregory's gaze shifted to him. "You say you're fit for the throne."

Adam tensed, afraid of where this was going, afraid his uncle was going to demand he hand down the sentence to end Tommy's life, something Adam simply would not do.

Playing along for the moment, though, Adam nodded. "I am."

"I think I've found a way you can prove it to me."

Adam resisted the urge to look over at Tommy, instead holding Gregory's gaze as he asked, "And how is that, Uncle?"

"Take him as your pleasure slave," Gregory said, a pleased smirk on his face.

"Never," Tommy hissed.

Wishing he could look over at Tommy and see how serious he was about that sentiment, but knowing to do so would be to tip his hand to his uncle that Tommy's feelings on the subject actually mattered to him, Adam maintained eye contact with his uncle as he asked, "Forgive my ignorance, Uncle Gregory, but how will that prove I'm fit for the throne?"

Gregory waved a hand in Tommy's direction. "So far, this slave has proven unmanageable. He has failed to settle into any role he's given and the guards are obviously unable to control him. He's been brought before me more times than I can count. I see no reason his service to you would be any different. Prove me wrong. Bring him in line, show me you can make him subservient, and I'll concede the throne to you on your twenty-fifth year without further protest."

Adam exhaled. There it was. His way out of the mess he'd made by letting Tommy get under his skin. It was ironic that the fix, then, involved Tommy.

Still, he couldn't help but point out, "Even if I agree, that is the one form of slavery no one, yourself included, can force on him."

"Maybe not," Gregory conceded, "but faced with submitting sexually to you or being beheaded, I doubt he would find you repulsive enough to prefer death."

Deciding it was now safe to look at Tommy, Adam pinned him with a stare, steeling himself against the blood and dirt covering him and what that implied, that the guards had beaten him again before bringing him before the king.

"What say you, slave? Will you agree to become my pleasure slave, or do you choose death?"

Tommy stared at him for a long moment, long enough that whispers started to fill the room around them as people speculated what Tommy would choose.

Finally, Tommy lowered his head and said, "I choose your bed, My Lord."

Adam had to fight hard to keep the jolt of arousal, something completely inappropriate to the mood of the moment, from showing on his face.

Nodding his head, Adam said, "Very well. So be it. I take you as my pleasure slave." Turning to two of the castle guards, Adam said, "Take him to my chambers and have Taylor prepare him for me."

"Hold on," Gregory said, raising a hand to hold the guards off. Looking over at Adam, Gregory said, "There is the matter of the marking to see to first."

Adam looked Tommy over and said, "He is filthy. It can be seen to later, can it not?"

Gregory chuckled. "You are anxious to have use of him, I see. But no, it cannot wait. The spot can be washed so as to prevent infection, but it needs to happen now, and here, as is the law."

Adam resisted the urge to punch his uncle in the face for his remarks about Adam's eagerness, and nodded instead. "Very well."

The barber was called, and while they waited, a servant came over and cleaned Tommy's ear, preparing it for the piercing that would mark him as Adam's property. Adam couldn't quite believe this was happening. Especially considering how very recently he'd thought to offer the same thing to Tommy.

Once Tommy's ear was clean and the barber was present, Adam crossed to Tommy and grasped his jaw, stomach turning when Tommy flinched at his touch. They were not getting off to the start he had hoped for when he'd thought to offer him the position only a week ago.

As was custom, he held Tommy's head still as the barber pierced him. Through it all, Tommy held Adam's gaze as he knelt at his feet and took the pain of the piercing with only the barest of winces giving away how much it hurt.

Once it was done, the barber stepped away and Adam turned Tommy's head to the side, inspecting it. The piercing was made up of a long steel bar that was first driven through the top of Tommy's ear, then a spot not quite halfway down his lobe. Each end was capped with a steel ball, the threading such that the ends could not be unscrewed once they were locked in place. The only way to get rid of the bar now would be to cut it in the middle. The symbolism of it was that they were two individuals—represented by the two piercing points on Tommy's ear—bound together by the contract—represented by the bar—they'd made with each other.

The contract itself was like a marriage contract in a way, except for one notable exception. Now that Tommy had given his consent, it was the last choice he would be allowed to make. He was Adam's sexual property now, and as such, Adam was allowed to use or share him as he liked. Tommy did not have the luxury of changing his mind. If he had been a typical slave, it would be Adam's right to free him from the contract and from his slavery should he so choose, but given Tommy's status as a spoil of war, only the king could free him, meaning Adam was just as bound to Tommy as Tommy was to him.

Nodding his head at the barber to indicate he was pleased with the piercing, Adam released Tommy's jaw and motioned the castle guards forward.

As Tommy stood to be taken away, Gregory said to Adam, "I expect you to keep him chained at night until I'm sure you've brought him suitably in line."

"Yes, Uncle," Adam said, not missing the way Tommy's back tensed as he walked away with the guards.


	5. Chapter 5

Tommy sank into the tub of hot, oil-scented water with a groan. His body ached from the beating he'd taken only an hour ago, and the heat stung the cuts on his arms and legs caused by jagged rocks littering the ground he'd been beaten on. At the same time, it felt like pure bliss to soak in a tub again; it being the first bath he'd had since the night before he'd left Solvo behind to make the journey home with his father. All he'd been allowed since his enslavement had been a bowl and a cloth.

Taylor, who had introduced himself as Adam's manservant, stood next to the bath and shook his head. "They really worked you over, didn't they?"

Tommy shrugged, sinking down in the bath until all but his neck and shoulders were covered. "I've suffered worse in battle."

Taylor nodded and dropped to his knees next to the tub. "That's right. You were once a knight and a king. No offense, but you don't look the type."

Tommy glanced at Taylor, trying to decipher if there was an ulterior motive in his attempt at a conversation. Sensing none, he said, "No offense taken. And I was only king for an afternoon."

"Yes, but you were a prince and the heir apparent for your entire life before that." Taylor glanced at Tommy's seven battle piercings and added, "And a highly successful warrior, by all accounts."

Tommy lifted an eyebrow. "There are accounts?"

Taylor smiled lightly. "You are the talk of the castle, Thomas. Surely you knew that."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "I didn't, but I suppose I should have." Taylor chuckled and Tommy looked him over, noting the shoulder length hair. "You're not a slave."

Taylor shook his head. "I'm a freeman." He hesitated, then met Tommy's gaze and said, "You're the first slave Prince Adam has taken personal responsibility for. Ever."

"So I should call you sir, then," Tommy said, intentionally missing the point he suspected Taylor was trying to make.

Taylor shook his head. "I prefer you just call me Taylor."

Tommy smiled lightly. "Then call me Tommy."

Taylor smiled back. "Tommy it is." Taylor then grew serious, looking Tommy over. "Normally I would leave you to your bath and come back to help with your hair and back, but there's so much dirt and you seem to barely be able to lift one of your arms. Would you like my help?"

Tommy's first instinct was to say no, but he held it in check, knowing Taylor was right. "Yes, actually. My arm isn't hurt, though; it's my ribs. Lifting my arm makes it feel like I'm being stabbed in my side."

Taylor frowned. "Hold on." He rose and crossed to the door where there was a guard waiting, and said, "Fetch Sutan. Thomas is in need of a healer."

The guard stiffened and glanced into the room at Tommy, then back at Taylor. "He's a spoil of war. He's not worth Sutan's time."

Tommy sighed in resignation, assuming that would be that, but Taylor surprised him by pulling himself to his full height—even though he wasn't much taller than Tommy—and saying, "He is Prince Adam's pleasure slave now, and as such his needs are above even yours, soldier, and you'd do well to remember that. Fetch Sutan or I shall inform the prince of your lapse in judgment."

Well, Tommy thought to himself, that was one benefit of being the sex slave of the heir apparent now. If his needs were above even a soldier's, he wouldn't be subjected to any more beatings … except at Adam's hand if he saw fit. Which, given Adam's threat the other day, wasn't as unlikely a possibility as Tommy would have thought mere days before that.

The guard's jaw clenched, but he nodded his head anyway and started off. Taylor closed the door behind him and crossed back to the tub.

Tommy glanced at him and said lightly, "You're taking a chance, aren't you? Sending the guard off, if I'm as storied a warrior as you've been told."

Taylor snorted as he picked up a cloth, lathered it, and motioned for Tommy to lean forward. When Tommy did so, Taylor began rubbing it over his back as he said, "Please. Right now you don't look like you could hurt a butterfly if it landed in the palm of your hand. I'm not worried for my safety. Besides, you'd be a fool to mess this up. I'm not sure how it worked in your kingdom, but as far as slave status goes here, you just went from the bottom of the ladder to the top." Taylor paused and shot Tommy a grin. "Here in Vox, we take sex seriously."

Tommy blinked at him, trying to decide if he was telling him the truth. Based on the fact that every party Tommy had witnessed so far had devolved into public sex, he thought there might be a good chance Taylor was being truthful.

"Really? Before Tousma abolished slavery, sex slaves were looked down upon."

Taylor shook his head, pressing on Tommy's shoulder to get him to lie back in the tub. Soaping up the cloth again, he carefully washed Tommy's face while Tommy shut his eyes.

"Not here," Taylor said. "Here you're considered one of your master's most treasured possessions. You will get regular baths so that you are always fresh and clean for his use, you will wear garments made out of cloth that is only second in quality to your master's so that your skin will be soft and smooth when he touches you, and you will be fed well so as to keep you in good health to see to his needs. And because you are the crowned prince's pleasure slave, your needs are considered more important than most any servant in the castle, slave and freeman alike."

Tommy was dumbfounded. So dumbfounded, in fact, that his jaw dropped before he remembered himself and snapped it shut, just in time for Taylor to rinse off his face with fresh water from a bowl near the tub.

Tommy opened his eyes afterwards and studied Taylor, finding no hint of deception in his expression. Huh. Tommy had only come across one pleasure slave since being brought to Vox, and while the slave had indeed seemed well fed and taken care of, Tommy had assumed that was just his owner's preference. He didn't know it was the way of things.

He allowed himself to feel a moment of elation that his hard labor was over and he would no longer be subjected to nearly inedible food. At least, until the reality of the situation sank in.

Petulantly, he muttered, "And all I have to do is spread my legs to get it all."

Taylor blinked at him. "Tip your head back." Tommy did so and Taylor poured water over his hair as he said, "Surely it's not a hardship. Most clamor for a chance at the prince's bed. He's not exactly hard on the eyes, and from what I hear he's quite the lover."

Tommy tilted his head slightly so he could look over at Taylor. "You hear? You don't have first hand knowledge?"

Taylor chuckled. "My interests lean toward women and Prince Adam respects that."

Tommy bit his bottom lip as Taylor lathered up his hair, and found himself admitting, "Mine too."

Taylor's fingers stopped massaging Tommy's scalp briefly and Taylor looked at him sharply. "So you've never…"

Tommy shook his head, cheeks heating at the subject matter.

Taylor went back to washing Tommy's hair, although from the look on his face it appeared there was something he wanted to say but wasn't sure he should.

"Say it," Tommy said. "Whatever it is, just say it."

"Forgive me," Taylor said as he started pouring water over Tommy's head to rinse his hair out, "but castle gossip being what it is, and also because I can somewhat verify it since I see him undressed daily, not to mention I've lost track of the times I've walked in on him in the middle of a tryst, I feel I should warn you."

Tommy frowned. "Warn me about what? Does he have some horrible disfigurement? Do you actually think I would care about that?"

Taylor shook his head as Tommy straightened, water dripping down off his fringe. "No, it's not that, although no, you don't strike me as someone that shallow. All I meant to say was that before you seal the contract with sex, you should tell him that you're untouched in that way." At Tommy's questioning look, Taylor elaborated, "He's rather … large. It will be painful for you if he doesn't know to take it slow and prepare you accordingly."

Tommy swallowed. "You assume it would matter to him."

Taylor nodded his head vigorously. "Prince Adam is a good man and from all accounts a generous lover. It will matter to him."

Tommy wished he could be as sure as Taylor, but he knew something Taylor didn't, that Adam felt betrayed by him and most likely hated him now. Given that and the fact that Adam had pretty much been forced to take him as his pleasure slave to prove himself fit to rule by his uncle, Tommy couldn't envision a scenario where Adam would give any care to Tommy's comfort during the act.

After Taylor finished helping Tommy with his bath, he watched him climb out of the tub, frowning deeply at the bruises and cuts littering Tommy's body. Tommy had to admit as he looked down at himself that he couldn't be very attractive like this. He wondered briefly if Adam would even want to lay a hand on him in this state, and then wondered why he felt mildly let down at the thought. He should be happy for the reprieve, if it was given. Maybe he'd be able to work his way back into Adam's good graces in the meantime so that when they did consummate the relationship, Adam would be more likely to take his time with him.

Tommy had just finished drying off when there was a knock at the door. Tommy wrapped the towel around his waist as Taylor called for the person to enter. The man who entered was tall—taller than Adam even—but thin as a reed, also. He had dark, shoulder-length hair and a warm smile.

"I'm Sutan," he said by way of introduction, eyes skimming Tommy's body.

"He's the healer," Taylor added.

Tommy nodded at Sutan. "Sir."

Sutan clucked his tongue. "Sutan. Not sir."

Tommy couldn't help but smile. "All right, Sutan. Call me Tommy, then."

Sutan returned the smile and walked over, circling Tommy as he said, "Did you have a fight with a herd of cattle?"

"He was beaten by the guards in the breaking yard," Taylor supplied. "I called you because of his side."

"I see."

"I'll leave him to you," Taylor said, heading for the door.

Sutan nodded and motioned Tommy over to Adam's bed. "Lie down so that I can take a look."

Tommy hesitated, the large bed looming before him threateningly. Not long from now he'd be lying there for a much different reason, one he wasn't ready to face at all.

A warm hand squeezed his shoulder. "Relax, Tommy. It's just so that I may assess whether anything's broken."

Tommy sighed, knowing he was being foolish. He could face men on the battlefield but he was cowed by a simple bed? He was almost glad his father wasn't around to see his cowardice.

Walking over, Tommy lay down on his back and had to bite his lip to stop the groan of pleasure at lying on a soft bed for the first time in weeks. Not even the pain in his side could compete.

Sutan reached for Tommy's waist and paused with his hand on the top edge of the towel, saying, "I need to be able to see everything."

Tommy blinked, surprised to find Sutan waiting for his response. "You don't need my permission."

"You're right, I don't," Sutan said, and continued to wait.

Tommy exhaled, the last of his nerves flowing away at the dignity Sutan was allowing him to have. "Go ahead."

With a flick of Sutan's wrist the towel fell away and Sutan stared down at his side and hip. Carefully he reached out and pressed here and there, asking what hurt and didn't. After a few minutes of probing, he sat back on his heels and said, "I don't believe any bones are broken and it doesn't appear that anything else inside is hurt too severely, but you should be careful for a few days, until the soreness goes away. I'll leave tonics for the pain so you can sleep at night."

Tommy nodded, reaching down to wrap the towel back around his waist. Sutan's long, slim fingers ghosted over the various cuts on his arms and legs, asking, "What caused these? Did they torture you also?"

Tommy shook his head. "The yard is littered with jagged little pieces of rock and I was on the ground for most of the beating."

Sutan's lips pursed. "Did your actions warrant such treatment?"

Tommy shrugged one shoulder, his gut telling him that he could confide in Sutan, even though they'd only just met. "It depends on who you talk to. I killed their best worker, so in their eyes, yes."

Sutan pinned him with a look. "Why did you kill him?"

"Because he was going to force himself on me tonight and every night from now on, then pass me around. It was one injustice too many."

Sutan nodded, standing up. He reached down and brushed a wet strand of hair out of Tommy's face and said, "For what it's worth, I don't believe the beating was justified."

Tommy swallowed hard, and said quietly, "Thank you."

Sutan nodded. "Stay there. I'm going to get some salve for those cuts out of my satchel."

Sutan had just returned to his side with the salve when the door to the bedroom opened and Adam walked in. He stopped short at finding Sutan there and blinked.

"Sutan?"

"Taylor called me to tend to his injuries," Sutan said, turning back to apply some of the salve to one of the worst cuts on Tommy's arm.

It didn't escape Tommy's notice that Sutan didn't address Adam properly with a _My Lord_. It also didn't escape Tommy's notice that Adam didn't seem the least bit put out by that.

Adam closed the door behind him and crossed to the bed. Tommy watched as Adam's eyes ran over him from neck to toe and back again before finally meeting and holding his gaze. Silence dragged out between them before Adam's gaze shifted away, focusing back on Sutan.

"How bad is it?"

"Nothing's broken as far as I can tell," Sutan said. "He needs rest and as little physical activity as possible for the next few days, though. I'm leaving tonic for him to take at night to ease his pain while he sleeps."

"As little physical activity as possible, meaning…"

"Meaning, you will have to put your lust for him on hold," Sutan said dryly, standing up. "I have a feeling he could use the reprieve after what he went through with that slave, anyway." He grabbed Adam's hand and placed the jar of ointment in it. "Spread this over his other cuts so they don't end up infected. I was in the middle of seeing to a birth when I was called here. I trust you can handle this?"

Tommy's eyes widened and he pushed up onto his elbows, immediately regretting the sudden action as his side protested. He gasped in pain, but asked anyway, "You left a _birth_ to see to me?"

Sutan looked down at him. "The guard didn't give me much choice. You are the heir apparent's pleasure slave now, Tommy. Get used to it."

Tommy gaped at him. Taylor had told him as much, but Tommy had thought maybe he was exaggerating.

Looking between Adam and Sutan, Tommy's gaze settled on Adam. "Surely that's not all right with you, that he would leave that woman at such a time, considering the risks involved."

Tommy glanced at the stretching rings in each lobe of Adam's ears pointedly. He'd asked Jeffery about them once and Jeffery had told him that in Vox, they symbolized the loss of a parent. In Adam's case, the hole in his right lobe symbolized the loss of his father, and the one in his left, his mother, who had died during childbirth some years back.

Adam frowned at Tommy, but turned to Sutan and said, "Go. I'll … take care of him."

After Sutan left and Adam and Tommy were alone, Tommy felt his face go hot at the fact that he was lying nearly naked on Adam's bed. He rolled onto his uninjured side and pushed up to a sitting position, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Adam asked, tone stern.

Tommy winced as he stood and held out his hand. "If you give me the salve, I can see to my own cuts. You don't need to bother yourself with them."

"Lie down," Adam said, fingers curling around the jar in his palm to keep Tommy from grabbing it.

Tommy looked up at him and started, "I'm perfectly capable—"

"I said lie down," Adam interrupted. "That's an order."

Tommy went rigid, jaw set, but followed the order, lying back down stiffly.

Once he was in position, Adam knelt next to the bed and dipped his fingers in the jar. "Where did he leave off?"

Silently, Tommy lifted his arm and pointed at the last cut Sutan had tended to. The moment Adam's fingers touched the next cut, Tommy's eyes flew to the ceiling and he stared at it, trying to ignore the way his stomach did a flip at Adam's touch.

"You don't have to do this. I can see to them myself."

Adam snorted. "And face Sutan's wrath if he finds out? No, thank you."

Tommy was surprised enough at that that he looked over at Adam. "You fear him?"

Adam met Tommy's gaze and said, "His temper? Yes. His tongue lashings can be quite brutal when he's angry."

"He's a servant, yet you let him order you around?"

Adam shrugged. "He knows where the line is." Adam fell silent for a moment as he rubbed the cream on Tommy's skin. "We grew up together. He's one of my best friends, so I make allowances for him."

"Oh," Tommy said, able to see that.

As prince, he had made allowances for his best friends too, namely David and Isaac. He felt a stab of pain at the thought of Isaac, wondering what had become of him, if he was even still alive. He'd been left in charge of the castle when Tommy and his father had made the trip to Solvo.

Once Adam finished with Tommy's arms, he moved to his legs, starting at his ankles. "What did Sutan mean when he said you could use the reprieve after what happened with the slave?"

Tommy tensed. "Nothing."

Adam stopped applying ointment and went to grab Tommy's jaw, but stopped short, his fingers ghosting over the bruised skin there instead with a frown. "That's why you winced earlier when I grabbed you in the great hall."

"My Lord?" Tommy asked, not following.

"I though you winced because you abhorred my touch."

"I winced because it hurt."

Adam's eyes narrowed. "Did one of the guards do that, too?"

Tommy swallowed and said quietly, "No, My Lord. You did … the other day."

Adam's eyes widened. It was clear he hadn't realized he'd grabbed him that hard. For a moment it looked as if Adam might apologize, but then his expression shuttered off, most probably because he remembered the reason he'd grabbed him so hard.

Minutes passed, and then Adam said, "You haven't answered my question. What was Sutan talking about?"

Tommy looked away. "I'd rather not say."

Adam grabbed him by the chin, avoiding the bruises there even as he firmly turned Tommy's head back so he'd have to meet his eyes. "I'd rather you did."

Tommy stared hard at Adam before saying stiffly, "The slave I killed tried to force himself on me, but I caught him by surprise and managed to fight him off. He recovered and was going to try again tonight—with help—then pass me around. He made it clear it would be a nightly occurrence. I … would have fought it and most likely ended up dead, so I took it as a threat to my life and acted accordingly. The guards saw what was happening and lied to the king about it. One of them smirked when Fredrick started groping me in line."

"I see," Adam said. He held Tommy's gaze as he said, "It's good you acted, then. No matter what else, I don't wish to see you dead."

Tommy looked away, fighting the temptation to confess that he'd lied the other day when he'd confirmed he'd been toying with Adam, when he'd said that their friendship wasn't real.

Adam treated all the cuts along Tommy's calves, then covered one knee with his hand, his fingers slipping slightly between Tommy's legs. "Are there any on your thighs?"

Tommy swallowed, wanting to lie and say no so that Adam wouldn't have to touch him so intimately. It was foolish, he knew, because soon enough Adam would be touching him in a lot more intimate places than his thighs, but the truth was, he had several nasty scrapes front and back where his tunic had ridden up as he tried to get away from the guards' kicks.

"Yes. Front and back."

Strangely, Adam seemed as hesitant about treating them as Tommy was about him doing it, but instead of backing down and handing him the jar, Adam cleared his throat and said, "Show me."

The simplest way would be to just open his towel, but Tommy couldn't bring himself to do it, so instead he reached down, palms flat on the bit of towel covering his thighs, and slid it up so it was resting just above the cuts.

Adam's jaw clenched and Tommy saw desire flare in his eyes. Surprisingly, Tommy wasn't put off by it, in spite of the circumstances. Instead, he felt heat coil through his belly in response.

Adam studiously went to work on the cuts. Once they were taken care of, he ordered gruffly, "Roll over."

Tommy bit his bottom lip and did as he was told. He tried to reach back to slide his towel up out of the way again, but his side protested and he ended up face first on the bed, gasping into the mattress in pain.

"Your side?" Adam surmised.

Tommy nodded and turned his head so that it was pillowed by the mattress and he could see Adam. "Yes."

"Allow me, then?" Adam asked, then waited, much like Sutan had earlier.

Grateful for the bit of dignity shown him, Tommy nodded his head once and watched Adam's face as Adam slid his towel up to just below his buttocks. Desire flashed briefly in Adam's eyes again, but was quickly replaced by a frown. Reaching out, he traced one of the cuts and Tommy couldn't help but wince.

"Did Sutan see this one?"

Tommy frowned. "If it was high enough to be covered by the towel when I was standing, probably not. The only time my towel was open for him was while I was lying on my back so he could check my side."

"I’m going to get him back," Adam said, standing. "I think it may need to be sewn shut. It's still leaking blood and it's fairly deep."

Tommy reached out and grabbed his wrist as Adam made to turn and leave. When Adam looked down at him questioningly, Tommy said, "Please don't. However bad the cut is, the woman giving birth needs him more. I can wait a few hours."

Adam hesitated, then said, "I'll get Jeni, then. She was trained as a healer before she and Neil met. She gave it up to be the First Princess of Vox and bear heirs for the throne since I have no intention of marrying a woman. She fills in when Sutan's not available. The guard should have gotten her in the first place when he saw that Sutan was busy."

Tommy let go of Adam's wrist and nodded. "Thank you."

Adam left, coming back a short time later with Princess Jenifer, who took one look at Tommy and gasped. "Who did this to him?"

"The guards in the breaking yard," Adam said.

Princess Jenifer glared at Adam. "Tell me you will see to it they are properly punished."

Adam shot her a look. "You know I can't. He's a slave. They were within their rights under the law."

"The law that—"

"Jeni," Adam cut her off firmly yet not unkindly. "We can discuss this later. I think Tommy might need his leg sewed together."

Princess Jenifer clamped her mouth shut, looking chagrined, although Tommy wasn't entirely sure it was because she was ranting instead of tending to him. The look that passed between Adam and Princess Jenifer just before she knelt down beside the bed piqued Tommy's curiosity. There was a silent conversation taking place between them, but about what, Tommy had no idea.

Tommy watched her face as she examined his wound.

"How did you get this, Thomas?"

"Tommy," Tommy corrected, then answered, "I assume it was one of the jagged rocks scattered on the ground, My Lady. The guards didn't use weapons."

Princess Jenifer met Tommy's gaze and said, "Call me Jeni."

"Jeni it is," Tommy said with a smile.

Jeni returned the smile, then went back to studying the cut.

Finally, she sat back on her heels and said, "It's a near thing, but it doesn't need stitching. It's already starting to seal together. You should remain on your stomach for the night and through tomorrow while the skin binds itself, though. I'll wrap it, but you shouldn't put pressure on the leg or it's likely it'll reopen and seep more blood." Glancing over at Adam, Jeni continued, "You could have a crutch made for him, but for the short time he'll need it, someone to lean on for support if he gets up for any reason would do just as well."

Adam exhaled. "Thank you, Jeni."

Jeni wrapped it with a strip of cloth from a satchel she had brought in with her. When she was finished, she stood and smiled at Adam, then down at Tommy. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you," Tommy replied, appreciative of her kindness.

She nodded, then turned and left, leaving him and Adam alone again. Adam walked over and reached past Tommy for the blanket, covering him with it.

Pulling a stool over to sit on, he asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Tommy admitted. "I haven't eaten a decent meal since that last testing."

Adam nodded and stood again. "I'll send Taylor off for a tray, then."

When Adam was almost to the door, Tommy screwed up his courage and said to Adam's back, "Thank you, My Lord."

Adam turned and looked at him. "For?"

Tommy felt his face heat. "For not ignoring Sutan's advice."

Adam nodded, then turned and left.

Adam was drunk, and pleasantly so. After he'd sent Taylor to fetch a tray for Tommy and helped Tommy prop himself up with a pillow under his chest so that he could remain on his stomach while he ate, Adam had left Taylor to see to him and had retreated to his brother's rooms, where he'd proceeded to toss back drink after drink. Eventually, though, Neil had kicked him out for the night, telling him to quit being a coward and go face his new slave.

Slave. By the gods, Adam didn't understand how after years of having as little to do with the slaves in the castle as possible, he was suddenly the owner of a pleasure slave. And not just any pleasure slave, but a slave he'd been lusting after for weeks now.

The worst part was, Tommy had no say in the matter. He couldn't refuse, wasn't even allowed by law to voice a preference in the matter now that he bore the piercing of a pleasure slave. There was no way Adam could trust that Tommy was a willing participant if they had sex.

If he had only followed Neil's advice and asked Tommy back when Tommy was ensconced in the stables, he could have trusted Tommy's answer. Both because back then they had an easy friendship building between them—or at least, he had thought so—and because Tommy truly had the freedom of choice in the matter, complete with an acceptable alternative at the ready, which was to remain in the stables.

The choice Gregory had given Tommy earlier that day, though, was a joke. Of course Tommy would choose Adam's bed over death. It wasn't really a choice, it was survival, which meant anything Adam did with Tommy would be tantamount to force.

Although he took his good, sweet time about it, Adam eventually reached the door to his chambers. He scowled at it for several moments before finally opening the door and stumbling in, gracelessly running into a side table near the door. He kicked it, sure it had somehow jumped out at him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blond head shoot up from a pillow.

"My Lord?"

Adam sighed and turned to Tommy. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," Tommy said flatly.

Adam frowned and looked around him, seeing there was no one else in the room. "You've just been lying there with nothing to do and no one to talk to?"

Tommy laid his head back down on the pillow and stared at Adam. "Taylor left a while ago. He thought you'd be back at any time."

Adam cursed. Normally, Taylor would have been right. "Why didn't you sleep, at least?"

Tommy bit his bottom lip, then admitted, "I'm in too much pain. Sutan left an elixir, but it's on that table you just bumped into. You forbade me from standing, so I couldn't get it myself and the guard outside the door made it clear earlier he'd as soon see me dead as offer me help of any kind, so I didn't bother asking him."

Adam scowled. "I'll have him replaced in the morning." Adam glanced at the table and found that the elixir was still intact, thankfully not having crashed to the floor like some of the other items on it had. Picking it up, Adam asked, "Did Sutan leave instructions on how to prepare it?"

"It needs to be mixed with a cup of warm water," Tommy answered.

Adam could hear the pain lacing his voice. Adam again cursed himself for staying away so long. Even though he felt betrayed by the way Tommy had manipulated him when he'd been in the stables, Tommy's well-being was his responsibility now and he'd fallen down on the job not even one day in.

Clumsily—because of the drink sloshing through his body—Adam found a cup, filled it with water from a pitcher, and placed it near the fireplace to warm. Thankfully, Taylor had started the fire before leaving for the evening. While it was the height of summer and hot during the day outside, it could get a bit nippy at night.

Crossing to the chest at the end of his bed, Adam sat on it and stripped off his sandals. Standing again, he shrugged out of his vest and laid it on the chest. When he tried to walk around the side of the bed, he misjudged his step and his shin slammed into the bedpost.

Adam cursed and Tommy sucked in a sharp breath. Adam reached down to rub his shin and heard Tommy exhale shakily.

Realizing his clumsiness must have jostled the bed and caused Tommy more pain, Adam said, chagrined, "Sorry about that."

Tommy lifted his head from the pillow again and peered at Adam in the low light of the lamp near the bed. "You're drunk."

Adam rubbed his shin some more, limping over to sit on the stool he'd left next to the bed earlier. Easing down on it, he admitted, "A bit, yes."

"Wonderful," Tommy muttered under his breath.

Adam wasn't sure he was meant to have heard that, so he let it go and reached out, fingering the edge of the blanket where it pooled around Tommy's shoulders. When Tommy tensed, Adam said quietly, "I'm just going to check the cut. I'm not drunk enough to have forgotten you need time to heal."

Tommy bit his bottom lip and stared into Adam's eyes for several heartbeats before giving a slight nod of his head.

Adam carefully pulled the blanket down, noting the way Tommy shivered at its removal. When Adam noticed goose bumps pop up on the arm closest to him, he found himself fascinated with them and reached out to rub them away. He didn't miss the way Tommy's breath caught, or the way he tensed for a brief moment before relaxing into it.

Unable to help himself, Adam rubbed his hand all the way up Tommy's arm, noting the lean muscles there that the tunic he wore daily kept hidden. Staring at the way the candlelight played over Tommy's skin, Adam slid his hand over Tommy's shoulder and down the smooth planes of his back, to the dip at the base. It was then that Tommy tensed again, sucking in a sharp breath as if bracing himself for whatever was next. It was that realization that snapped Adam out of the drunken trance he'd fallen into.

Clearing his throat, Adam dropped his hand from Tommy's back and said, "I need to lift the towel a bit. It's covering the cut."

"Whatever you wish, My Lord," Tommy said.

Adam nearly flinched at the resigned response. He could tell by the rigid lines of Tommy's body now that he was anything but all right with Adam touching him any more than he already had, driving home the fact that Adam had been right, Tommy hadn't really wanted to be his pleasure slave. He'd just chosen it to escape certain death.

Adam looked over and met Tommy's closed off gaze. "I'm just checking your cut, nothing more."

Tommy studied him for a long moment before responding. "No need to explain yourself to me, My Lord. I am yours to do with as you please."

Adam scowled at his traitorous body's reaction to the offer in Tommy's words, no matter that it was the rote response expected of a slave.

Staring hard at Tommy, Adam said, "Don't do that."

Tommy's shoulders tensed. "Do what?"

"Don't play a role with me. I remember what you said in the stables, that you pretend you're playing a part. Don't do that with me."

Tommy swallowed. "What would you have me do, then? I'm not allowed to express my opinion. I'm not even allowed to have one."

Adam hated the waver in Tommy's voice. Defenses down because of the ale he'd consumed, Adam couldn't help but empathize with Tommy's predicament. Closing his eyes, Adam took a deep breath and reigned in his emotions.

Looking at Tommy again, Adam said, "We both agree I own you, body and soul, then?"

Resentment flashed briefly in Tommy's expression but he answered as expected. "Yes, My Lord."

"Then I have a right to your true feelings on any and every subject, yes?" Adam asked, hope leaping in his chest as he figured out a way around the laws on ownership.

Tommy frowned. "Yes, My Lord."

Adam nodded, grinning in victory. "Then in private, I expect you to always divulge your true feelings to me, whatever the subject."

Tommy blinked, clearly wary, but with a look of hope in his eyes that Adam hadn't realized he'd missed until then. "Like in the stables," Tommy said quietly. Adam tensed at the reminder of Tommy's betrayal, but before Adam could respond, Tommy continued, "I've got a confession, then, My Lord."

Adam swallowed. "What is it?"

"I lied to you."

Adam's lips pressed in a thin line as he nodded. "I know that."

Tommy shook his head as much as he could while lying on the pillow. "No. Not in the stables. In the guard house."

Adam frowned. "What?"

"I lied when I said you were naïve for considering us friends, and when I told you it all had been a manipulation as you thought."

"But the escape attempt…" Adam said, trailing off, afraid to hope.

"Wasn't an escape attempt," Tommy said.

Adam studied him for a long moment, seeing the truth of it in Tommy's eyes. He thought back to the day in the guard house and could kick himself. He'd seen the lie in Tommy's eyes then. He'd even said as much to him. He'd just been so angry at the time that he'd let Tommy's words fuel his anger and hadn't bothered to seek out the truth.

"What really happened?"

Tommy exhaled. "Chadwick happened. He came back from light duty, his injuries healed, and wasn't happy to find out I'd usurped his position in the royal stable. He waited until I was on Wild and headed out of the stable, then jumped out from another stall and whipped Wild in the back end. Wild took off and it was all I could do to get him under control. By the time I did, it was too late and the guards had given chase. They knocked me from his back, jumped from their horses, and decided to teach me a lesson with their fists before bringing me to the king.

Adam cursed. "Why didn't you say all this then? Why try to get yourself beheaded instead?"

Tommy shrugged, gaze dropping to the vicinity of Adam's chest, shame clearly etching his features. "I’d had enough. The beating, the … the slavery, my kingdom falling, losing my father, it was all just … too much. For a moment, I truly did want everything to end."

"Gods," Adam said, reaching up to caress Tommy's cheek. When Tommy met his gaze, Adam said, "Don't ever say that."

Tommy swallowed. "Is that an order, My Lord?"

Adam shook his head. "It's a request. I never want you to feel that way again."

Tommy took a shaky breath and admitted, "I'm not sure I can stop it. I've lost everything."

Inhibitions nowhere to be seen in his drunken state, Adam found himself rising up off the stool and leaning over the bed to press his lips to Tommy's. Tommy tensed for a second before returning the relatively chaste kiss.

Afterwards, Adam pressed his forehead to Tommy's briefly, then backed off, sitting on the stool once again. "Whenever you feel that way, I want you to come to me and tell me before you do anything that might get you in trouble. _That_ is an order."

Tommy offered him a small smile. "Yes, My Lord."

Adam rolled his eyes and sighed. "And none of this 'My Lord' business. In private, Adam is fine, just like before."

Tommy chuckled, "You're _ordering_ me to talk to you as an equal, then?"

Adam laughed. "I guess I am."

Tommy grinned, but then the grin fell away and the wariness was suddenly back.

"What is it now?" Adam asked, unable to keep the exasperation from his voice.

"I'm just wondering if you'll feel the same way come morning when you're sober."

Adam wiped a hand over his face before admitting, "Thinking I couldn't have that was why I got drunk tonight. The thought of you submitting to me because my uncle forced you into this union didn't … sit well with me. I told you before. I don't condone rape."

Tommy's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah," Adam said. "Oh." Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Now. May I move your towel aside enough to see your cut?"

Tommy bit his bottom lip, then asked, "My true feelings?"

Adam nodded. "Always."

"I'd really like to be rid of the damn thing altogether. It's damp and making my skin itch. I tried to do it myself, but my side hurts too much."

Adam nodded, feeling his dick twitch at the fact that he was about to be faced with Tommy's naked backside. Now was not the time for that, though. Tommy was injured. He had to keep a leash on his desires for the time being.

"Actually," Adam said as he reached for the towel to pull it from Tommy's body, "I'm not sure what the rules were for pleasure slaves in Tousma, but in Vox you're not allowed any form of cover when we are in chambers, except for blankets while in bed. Taylor was remiss in letting you keep the towel. And it's not a rule I can bend without taking a chance on it getting back to my uncle. He has spies everywhere."

"I suppose I shall have to get used to not being allowed clothing, then," Tommy said, sounding once again resigned.

Adam wished he could bend that rule for Tommy's sake, but knew he could not. He could trust Taylor and Sutan and a select handful that had access to his bedchambers, but there were others he couldn't trust, like the guards, who could see in whenever the door was open, and the maid who came by in the morning before he was even awake.

Just as Adam pulled at the towel, Tommy lifted his hips slightly and suddenly he was free of it. Adam dropped the towel to the floor next to the bed and found himself staring at Tommy's small but perfectly shaped, firm ass in spite of himself.

He must have stared long enough to make Tommy uncomfortable because Tommy shifted and mumbled, "There isn't much back there to speak of, I know."

Adam shook his head, just barely stopping himself from reaching out and squeezing. "Yes there is. Just enough, and it's perfect."

Forcing his eyes away from Tommy's backside, Adam caught the blush that crept up Tommy's cheeks. "You're a liar, but thank you."

Adam smiled. "When you're better, I'm going to show you just how much I'm _not_ lying about finding it perfect."

Tommy's eyes widened briefly before skittering away from Adam's gaze. Adam watched Tommy's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed and said, "Is the water warm enough to mix the elixir in, do you think? My side really hurts."

"Oh, right. I'll check," Adam said, allowing the subject change.

Judging by Tommy's reaction to Adam's flirting, it was easy to see Neil's information had been accurate. Tommy had never been with a man. Adam just hoped that didn't mean he didn't want to try it, at least with him, because Adam wasn't sure how much he could take of Tommy walking around the bedchamber naked if he wasn't allowed to touch whenever he wanted. There was only so much a man could take, after all, before he was driven insane.

The fog lifted slowly from Tommy's head as he woke to morning sunlight streaming in through the window. He lifted his hand to brush the hair out if his eyes and tensed at the familiar rattle of a chain. Opening his eyes, he blinked at the cuff around his wrist. He hadn't fallen asleep with it on, so Adam must have secured it afterwards, as per the king's orders.

He stared at the cuff. It was leather, with a buckle. An iron loop was sewn into the buckled end and another loop was sewn into the side of the cuff. A metal lock held the two loops together, preventing Tommy from unbuckling the cuff. The metal lock also held a third loop that was attached to a chain. With his gaze, Tommy followed the chain down and out of sight over the side of the bed, guessing it was either secured to a bolt in the floor or to the leg of the bed.

He flexed his wrist, testing the feel of it. He supposed he should be grateful that it was much more comfortable than the iron manacle he'd been forced to wear around his ankle at night up until he'd been sent to the breaking yard, but all he could think of was how it was just one more reminder of his slavery. He glanced around with a frown before locating Taylor, who was moving around the bedchamber, getting things ready for the day.

"Where's Adam?" Tommy asked before remembering himself. "I, uh, mean, Prince Adam."

Taylor looked over at Tommy and smiled. "It's all right. He mentioned he gave you leave to call him Adam. It's the guards and the maid you mainly have to watch how you speak around."

Tommy returned the smile. "Okay."

"He's out working off a hangover and a stiff back in the courtyard with his squire at the moment," Taylor said.

Tommy frowned. The hangover he'd expected, but he wondered at the other. "Stiff back?"

Taylor nodded toward two chairs that had been pushed together facing each other. "That was where I found him this morning, curled up in what looked like a truly uncomfortable position to sleep in."

Tommy's eyes widened. "He did not."

Taylor met Tommy's gaze and nodded. "He did." He hesitated, then said, "He must consider you very important to give up his bed for. His only explanation was that he didn't want to jostle you or chance rolling over on you in his sleep since he sleeps rather heavily when he's drunk."

Tommy flinched. "He should have had a pallet brought in for me. I would've been fine."

Taylor snorted. "You really don't know him all that well, do you?"

Apparently not, Tommy realized.

When Sutan walked in a while later, Tommy pointed at him, chain dangling from his wrist, and said, "Stop right there."

"Did you bump your head and forget your place?" Sutan asked sternly, but Tommy could see the teasing glint in his eyes.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "You order the prince around and told me to call you Sutan, so I'm taking a chance that you don't stand on ceremony."

Sutan grinned. "You're right. I don't. What's the problem?"

"Did you leave that woman's side again to come tend to me, or did she give birth?"

Sutan chuckled. "She gave birth, and mother and daughter are fine. Am I permitted to come closer now?"

Tommy pretended to think about it. "Only if you brought more of that amazing elixir. I felt like I was floating on a cloud all night."

Sutan tipped his head back and full out laughed as he walked over. "A man after my own heart. Yes. I brought more of the elixir."

Giving the chairs that were pushed together a curious look, Sutan crossed to the bed and sat on the stool Adam had left next to it.

"Let's see how that cut is looking," Sutan said as he reached for the blanket.

Tommy relaxed down onto the pillow, surprised to find he trusted Sutan so completely so fast.

Sutan whistled low as he pushed the blanket aside.

Tommy glanced over at him, asking, "What? Is it getting infected?"

Sutan grinned unrepentantly at him. "No, I'm just admiring the view."

Tommy's jaw dropped in shock for a brief second before he found himself laughing. "You are too much."

After a moment, Sutan grew serious as he leaned over Tommy, examining the cut. "It's healing well," he said. "You've been following instructions."

Tommy shrugged. "Don't have much choice. Adam ordered me to stay put."

Sutan chuckled. "Given the amount of trouble you've been in since arriving here and the fact that the king is counting on Adam to fail at bringing you in line, I'm a little surprised that it makes a difference that he ordered you."

Tommy frowned. "You aren't the only one. I normally do not follow rules well. I've … learned to curb the urge to rebel in recent years, but that was only because it was important for my kingdom that I learn to be a good ruler."

Sutan nodded. "So it follows that it must be important for other reasons, now, if you're willing to follow Adam's rules."

Tommy stared at a spot on the wall, thinking on that and realizing Sutan was right, although he wasn't sure he wanted to look too closely at what those other reasons might be.

"Hmm," Sutan said, checking over Tommy's other cuts and bruises before having him roll to his back so that he could examine his side again.

Tommy was surprised to find it much easier to move already and said as much.

"That's a benefit of the elixir," Sutan said. "It relaxes your muscles so they can heal faster. You may even be able to lie on your less injured side today, if you want. It might be more comfortable and it'll still leave the cut on your leg free of pressure."

Just as Sutan finished and covered him back up, with Tommy on his side this time, Adam walked in.

"How is he?" Adam asked Sutan.

Sutan stood and smiled. "He's mending well. One more day and he should be able to get up and move around, although he should keep that thigh wrapped for a few more days after that. He still needs to be handled carefully, though, or his side will flare back up. I brought more elixir for tonight."

Adam nodded. "Thank you. And thank you for checking in on him."

"Of course," Sutan said, like it went without saying. On his way to the door, he said to Tommy, "I expect you to stay in that bed until I come by in the morning to check on your cut one more time."

"We'll see," Tommy teased, a smile on his face.

Sutan huffed at him in exasperation, then turned to Adam and pointed. "Apparently you're special and he'll listen to you, so see that he does."

Adam blinked at Sutan, but said, "I will."

After Sutan left, Adam asked, "What was he talking about?"

Tommy shrugged, feeling his cheeks heat. "I have no idea."

Adam's eyes narrowed and he walked over, sitting on the stool. "You're lying to me."

Tommy bit his bottom lip. "Please don't make me tell you."

Adam studied him for a moment. "You remember our talk last night?"

Tommy nodded. "I wasn't sure you would."

"I remember everything," Adam said, his gaze dropping to Tommy's lips briefly before looking back up into his eyes.

Tommy's heart skipped a beat, remembering the kiss as well. It had just been a small, chaste kiss, but it had shaken Tommy's world regardless. "Me too," he said quietly.

"Then you remember me ordering you to tell me your true feelings and thoughts always."

Tommy sighed, afraid to share that much of himself. Adam remained quiet, waiting him out, and finally Tommy admitted, "Sutan and I were talking about how I have … trouble taking orders. Except, it seems, from you."

Adam sat back on the stool, a surprised look on his face. "Oh? Why is that?"

"I have no idea."

"I see," Adam said, and suddenly, there was an intent look on his face that made Tommy's stomach do a flip. "So," Adam continued, "if I told you to offer your mouth to me for a kiss, you would?"

Tommy swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. "Yes," he said, and because it felt right in that moment, even though Adam had given him leave to use his name, Tommy added, "My Lord."

Adam sucked in a sharp breath and asked, "And if I told you to tell me whether or not you wanted a kiss from me, you would answer honestly?"

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, "I would answer truthfully."

Adam held Tommy's gaze for a long moment, then asked, "Do you want me to kiss you?"

Tommy licked his lips, his gaze dropping from Adam's eyes to his mouth. "Yes. Very much."

Immediately Adam reached out, cupping the side of Tommy's face. His hand slid to the back of Tommy's head, and then Tommy found himself held still, trapped between Adam's hand and his mouth.

The kiss started out much like the night before, just a chaste press of lips, but soon enough it evolved into something more as lips parted and Adam's tongue darted in. Tommy moaned softly and chased Adam's tongue with his own, vying for control of the kiss.

Adam pulled back and nipped at Tommy's bottom lip, the pinpoint of pain bringing him back slightly from the hazy edge of want he was riding.

"Relax," Adam said, voice deep. "Let me."

Remembering himself and his place as Adam's pleasure slave, Tommy took a deep breath and nodded his head as much as he could in Adam's hold.

When their lips met again, Tommy forced back years of instinct, years of being the one taking the lead in any intimate encounter, and opened to Adam. Letting Adam set the pace, Tommy sank into the kiss.

It wasn't long before the kiss grew intense. Adam leaned up over him and Tommy rolled onto his back, finding it easier to submit than he thought he would. Feeling like he was freefalling, Tommy reached up to clutch at Adam's tunic, needing something to hold onto amid the whirlwind of desire crashing through him. His chain rattled but he ignored it and moaned when he felt Adam's hand slide from his head down his arm and side to rest on his blanket covered hip. Tommy arched into the touch, then promptly broke the kiss, turning his head away to gasp in pain as his side protested.

"Damn," Tommy said, hand dropping to his side protectively. "That hurt."

Adam cursed, backing off. "Sorry. I … forgot myself for a moment."

Tommy smiled sheepishly and lifted his hand to brush hair out if his face as he admitted, "So did I."

The chain attached to his cuffed wrist rattled again and Adam's eyes landed on it. Standing, Adam crossed the room to where the key lay on the table by the door. Returning with it, he fit it to the lock and opened it, then unbuckled the cuff.

The cuff fell from his wrist and Tommy said, "Thank you."

Adam leaned down and brushed a light kiss over Tommy's lips. "I cannot wait until you are better."

Before Tommy could respond, Taylor knocked and walked in, then stopped short. "Oh. Uh, I'll come back later."

Adam chuckled and sat back down on the stool. "Come in, Taylor."

Holding out a jar in his hand, Taylor said, "I just came to drop off more salve. Sutan handed it to me down in the hall, asking me to bring it back here and tell you to rub it into Tommy's cuts again. He forgot to leave it with you."

Adam held out his hand for the salve and thanked Taylor.

After Taylor left, Tommy said, "Maybe I should do it myself?"

Adam shook his head. "You're too sore and you might miss some."

Tommy took a shaky breath and said, "If you do it, we might get … distracted."

Adam grinned. "I promise to keep the distractions to a minimum."

Tommy shot him a skeptical look, but didn't argue when Adam opened the jar of ointment and began rubbing it into the cuts on his arms. Adam had been nice about it, but the fact remained he was Tommy's master now, and as such, had every right to do as he pleased with his body.

Adam tended to his arms quickly and efficiently, then hesitated. "You need to push the blanket aside so I can get to your legs."

Tommy swallowed. He knew Adam would see him naked sooner or later, given he wasn't allowed clothing inside the bedchamber, but he couldn't help the nervous flutter in his stomach or the way his body warmed at the thought of Adam looking at him. _All_ of him.

Telling himself he was being ridiculous and to think of it as no different than Taylor or Sutan seeing him naked, or his own manservant back at Lootus, Tommy reached down and slid the blanket off, exposing himself to the air and Adam's gaze.

He shivered slightly as Adam looked him over, head to toe, gaze lingering on his groin before dropping down to his legs. Tommy held his breath as Adam reached out and rubbed salve into the worst of the cuts on the fronts of his thighs.

In a husky voice that set off sparks inside Tommy, Adam ordered, "Roll over."

Tommy did as told, exhaling as he dropped his forehead to the pillow, only to find desire shooting through him again the instant Adam's fingers touched his legs. It only got worse the higher up Tommy's legs Adam's hands moved. By the time Adam reached his thighs, Tommy's cock was twitching with interest and he was biting his bottom lip to keep from making embarrassing noises.

Adam began rubbing ointment into the cut highest on the back of one thigh and Tommy had to fight to keep his hips still and his breathing even so he wouldn't give himself away. He was so tense, though, he doubted Adam hadn't picked up on it. Tense enough, in fact, that when he felt a brush of skin against the underside of one butt cheek, he couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath and the way his body jerked and shuddered.

Adam went completely still for a moment, then asked quietly, "Is the thought of my touch that repulsive to you?"

Surprised by the question and the hint of hurt in Adam's voice, Tommy turned his head to meet his gaze and admitted a little breathlessly, "Just the opposite."

The hurt was gone in an instant, replaced by a slow, pleased smile. "Good to know."

Unable to hold Adam's gaze as it turned intense, Tommy looked away and buried his face in his pillow while Adam finished with his cuts and rewrapped his thigh. He didn't relax until the blanket was once again covering him.

Turning onto his side with a wince, Tommy sighed and sank down into the bed, watching as Adam stood and crossed to a table on one side of the room where he set the salve.

Trying to fill the suddenly awkward silence with mindless conversation, Tommy said, "If it wasn't so boring to just lie here for hours on end, I could stay in this bed forever. It's the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in."

Adam chuckled. "I've always thought so." He glanced over at Tommy. "Even more comfortable than your bed at Lootus?"

Tommy nodded. "Even better than that." He paused, then added, "Although that could have something to do with the pallets I've been sleeping on since coming here." He hesitated before adding, "Speaking of sleeping, tell me you didn't really sleep on those chairs last night."

Adam glanced at the chairs and shrugged. "A small price to pay for not waking up to your smothered corpse under mine this morning. I'm a heavy sleeper when I drink."

"Thanks," Tommy said, "but you don't have to worry. I'm tougher than I look."

Adam grinned. "That's almost guaranteed because at the moment you look as helpless as a kitten lying amid all those blankets and pillows."

Tommy glowered, mildly offended. "I do not resemble a helpless kitten."

Adam walked over, chuckling as he ruffled Tommy's hair. "Relax. It's a compliment. I like kittens, even though I sneeze every time one is around."

"Good thing for me, then, that I'm not covered in fur," Tommy teased.

Adam leaned down and brushed a kiss over Tommy's lips, murmuring softly, "Good thing, at that."

Tommy met and held Adam's gaze when Adam pulled back slightly. For the first time since being forced to choose sexual slavery to Adam over death, Tommy realized that while this might put him in the perfect position to take out the royal family when the time came, it was also going to make it nearly impossible for him to actually do so, with the exception of the king and his husband.


	6. Chapter 6

The day passed slowly for Tommy. Taylor checked in on him twice, bringing him his midday meal and his evening meal. While Tommy ate, Taylor caught him up on the castle gossip he'd missed when he'd been moved to the stables, and that relieved some of the boredom.

Taylor had been gone for a while, though, and the only other human contact Tommy had was the guard entering to build up the fire for the night. True to Adam's word, a new guard had replaced the other one, but he was not talkative in the least, and Tommy wasn't one to strike up a conversation with someone he didn't know, so the sum total of their interaction boiled down to a quick glance and a nod of heads.

Needless to say, by the time Adam retired to his chambers for the night, Tommy was ready to climb the walls.

Tommy's thoughts must have shown on his face because Adam offered him a small smile and said, "I would have stopped by, but I told my uncle I've locked you in chambers as punishment for your crimes. He knows you were injured badly enough to need a healer and bed rest, but given the fact that you're here because you … destroyed property," Adam said the last with a look of disgust on his face that made it clear he didn't like his uncle reducing a human being to property, "he would consider visits to keep you entertained unacceptable."

Tommy nodded. He understood, he did. It didn't change the fact that he had counted every stitch in the blanket covering him. Twice.

"You know," Tommy said, watching as Taylor entered behind Adam and began helping him out of his royal robes, "you're the crown prince. You could order Sutan to let me off bed rest in the morning."

Adam laughed. "And never hear the end of it if your wound splits back open or gets infected? No, we'll wait and see what he has to say."

Tommy glowered. "Maybe I don't care what he has to say. I've suffered worse in battle and rode three days afterward to get home."

Adam pinned Tommy down with a glare. "If you even think about getting out of that bed on your own before Sutan approves it, I'll turn you over my knee."

Tommy stiffened, face going hot. He hadn't been spanked since he was a young boy, and only then less than a handful of times. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Adam said.

Silently, they faced off, Tommy forgetting completely that Taylor was in the room until he cleared his throat and asked Adam, "Would you like a bath drawn tonight? Or will you just be using the bowl to clean up?"

"Just the bowl tonight, Taylor," Adam said without looking away from Tommy. "Fill a cup with water and put it by the fire, then leave us. You are dismissed for the evening."

"Thank you," Taylor said.

He did as instructed, then headed for the door. It closed behind him with finality.

Fidgeting under Adam's stare, Tommy finally sighed and admitted, "I was just annoyed because of the boredom. I didn't mean it."

"I did," Adam said, crossing to the bed. He sat on the edge of it, near Tommy's ankles and brought a hand down to rest on them, squeezing slightly. "Make no mistake, Tommy. I may let you address me informally and may give you latitude in how you speak to me, but I am very much the master here. If I have to spank you like a recalcitrant child to spare you an execution and to spare me the loss of my birthright, I will." Tommy opened his mouth to protest, but Adam continued on, not giving him the chance. "I told you yesterday that there are spies all over this castle. All any one of them would have to do is catch a glimpse of you moving around with no help and it would be back to my uncle within minutes. He would consider it a failure on my part to control you and would take immediate action."

Tommy looked away, unable to hold Adam's gaze, both because of how furious and humiliated he was at the mere threat of a spanking—especially since the threat had taken place in front of an audience—and because deep down, as much as he despised the reality of it, he knew Adam was right. He had to follow the rules or it would be disastrous for both of them.

Fingers under his chin drew Tommy's head around, forcing him to meet Adam's eyes once again. "You understand the demands of a prince. Put yourself in my position and tell me you wouldn't do the same."

Emotion welled up inside Tommy, causing his voice to shake slightly as he spoke. "There is one rather large problem with that."

"What's that?" Adam asked with a frown.

Tommy swallowed, hoping he wasn't about to get himself into serious trouble with his next words but unable to hold them back in the face of the order to be honest that Adam had given him the night before. "I wouldn't be in your position because I do not believe one person can own another."

A tick worked in Adam's jaw as he stared Tommy down. "Tell me. If not my pleasure slave, what do you consider yourself, then?"

"A prisoner of war," Tommy said boldly.

Adam's hand moved from Tommy's chin to his cheek and Tommy felt his heart skip a beat when Adam's thumb rubbed over his lips, his blue eyes dropping to follow the action.

After a brief moment, Adam met his gaze again and asked, "Did I imagine it this morning when you gave up control and gave yourself over to my kiss?"

"No, but—"

"Or just now," Adam interrupted, "when you gave me the truth in spite of the fact that it could get you a lashing should I choose. Tell me you did that for any reason other than the fact that I gave you an order to be honest with me, always."

Tommy tried to pull away from Adam's touch but Adam's hand slid around to his throat. He didn't choke Tommy or dig his fingers in, though. He simply held Tommy's head in place so that he couldn't look away.

"Tell me," Adam reiterated.

Tommy stared hard at him for a moment before saying in a tight voice, "Perhaps 'should' would have been the better word, not 'can'. I do not believe one person _should_ own another."

Adam studied him for several heartbeats before asking, "But you acknowledge I own you?"

Addressing him formally because the moment called for it, Tommy said, "Yes, My Lord."

He was surprised to find he wasn't bitter about it. At least, not the fact that it was Adam. If it had been anyone else, though, Tommy doubted he'd feel the same way.

Appearing satisfied with Tommy's response, Adam let his hand drop and stood, crossing to the hearth to pick up the cup of warmed water. He took it over to the table by the door, mixed in the elixir, then brought it over to Tommy.

As Tommy drank it down, Adam started stripping off the rest of his clothing. Tommy watched, breath caught in his chest for most of it, confused that he was enjoying the unveiling so much. Anticipating it, even. A lot of things confused Tommy about Adam, truth be told. Like the fact that one minute he acted as if Tommy was still his equal, and the next he was putting him in his place and warning of the consequences should Tommy disobey him.

Once Adam was naked, he took the now empty cup from Tommy and set it aside, then scooped up the leather cuff and lock. Walking back over, he waited for Tommy to hold out his hand. Adam attached the cuff to his wrist and threaded the open end of the lock through it. Bending, he picked the chain up off the floor and threaded the lock through that as well before clicking it shut. Then he walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in, setting the key down on his nightstand, out of Tommy's reach.

Despite the fact that he trusted Adam more than he would have anyone else in the castle, Tommy couldn't help but lie stiffly on his back, feeling trapped as he waited for the inevitable now that it was night and Adam obviously meant to share a bed with him. He was surprised, really, that Adam hadn't demanded his due sooner, Sutan's warning be damned.

Adam settled in on his side and slipped an arm over Tommy's waist. "Relax. I'm just here to sleep. I'm not drunk tonight, so you shouldn't be in danger of me rolling over on you and aggravating your side."

Tommy exhaled quietly and nodded, but remained stiff and unsure.

Adam snorted. "If you're not careful, you'll bruise my ego."

Tommy looked over at him. "Sorry. I—" _I've never lain with a man before_ , was what he almost said. Instead, he admitted, "You make me feel … off balance."

Adam propped his head up on one arm and said, "Off balance, hmm?" Tommy nodded and Adam leaned down, pressing a kiss to Tommy's naked shoulder. "You make me feel the same way."

Tommy felt some of the tension drain out of him at the admission. He hesitated a brief second, then turned away from Adam, heart hammering in his chest as Adam moved closer and fit their bodies together, nothing but a fold of blanket separating Tommy's backside from Adam's groin, one of Adam's hands resting on Tommy's thigh to avoid the bruise on his side and hip.

"Goodnight, Tommy," Adam said, sounding sleepy.

Tommy closed his eyes, welcoming the way the elixir made him float, taking away the ache in his side and all his worries and fears along with it. "'Night, Adam."

Tommy laid on his stomach on the bed, upper body propped up on his elbows, head twisted as far around as he could manage so he could watch Sutan's face as he looked at the cut on his thigh.

"Well?" Tommy asked, running out of patience.

Sutan arched an eyebrow. "In a hurry to go somewhere? I heard Adam restricted you to chambers for three more days."

Tommy sighed. "He did, but it'd be nice to be able to move around at least. If I have to spend one more minute in this bed, I might rip it to shreds just for something to do, which would be a pity because it's a very comfortable bed."

Sutan sat back on the stool and chuckled. "Well we can't have that. It's healing nicely, at any rate. So nicely, in fact, that you might get away without a scar. Just don't do anything that would stretch it too much, like put your legs up over Adam's shoulders, and you should be fine."

"Why would I put my legs up…" Tommy trailed off as Sutan's implication set in.

His face grew so hot he was sure he was going to burst into flames. When Sutan started laughing at his embarrassment, Tommy let his elbows slide out from underneath him and buried his face in the pillow, groaning.

"Sutan, what did you say to him?" Adam asked as he walked into the room.

Tommy just groaned louder and pulled the pillow out from under his face to put over his head, knowing without a doubt Sutan was going to tell Adam.

"I just mentioned a sexual position he might want to avoid with you for a few more days. Who knew it would turn his face such a cute shade of red?"

Tommy heard Adam chuckle. "Who knew, indeed." There was a rustling noise, which Tommy assumed was Sutan gathering up his things, and then Adam asked, "Just for my own reference, what position should I avoid with him?"

"No legs over the shoulders. Everything else should be fine, as long as it doesn't make his side ache or stretch the back of his leg."

Minutes ticked by and then Tommy felt the bed dip next to him and a hand come to rest on the small of his back. He tensed, wondering if this was it, if Adam was going to demand Tommy service him, as was his right.

"He's gone," Adam said. When Tommy stayed right where he was, Adam asked, "Are you going to come out from under there anytime today?"

Tommy could have punched him for the amusement he heard in Adam's voice.

Suddenly, though, the fight went out of him as he realized he wasn't going to be able to delay the inevitable forever.

With a sigh, he turned his head to the side a little so his voice wouldn't be too muffled to understand. "I'm being an idiot, I know."

Adam rubbed a hand up and down the line of Tommy's spine before sliding it up under the pillow to shove it aside. When Adam grabbed his arm and pulled lightly on it, Tommy reluctantly rolled over, trying very hard not to think about the fact that he was naked and they were most probably about to have sex.

Adam stared into Tommy's eyes for a long minute before asking quietly, "You've never been with a man before, have you?"

Tommy swallowed and shook his head. "It's that obvious?"

Adam smiled slightly and nodded. "Neil did some checking when you first arrived, once he caught on I was interested in you, but yes, even if he hadn't I would have figured it out."

"You—" Tommy broke off, then started again. "You were interested in me from the start?"

Adam chuckled. "From the moment you whipped around on that battlefield and our eyes met. I was so distracted I didn't even notice the medallion that marked you as king."

Tommy looked away, not wanting to think about the battle because whenever he did, he saw his father's face as he lay dying.

"Sorry," Adam said. "I know we agreed to avoid talk of that day." Taking a breath, Adam changed the subject. "Were things … different in your kingdom?"

Tommy looked back at Adam with a frown. "What do you mean?"

Adam shrugged. "I've heard of strange things in realms far from here, like men not being allowed to be with men, or women with women, as ridiculous as that sounds."

"Oh," Tommy said. He'd heard stories of that too, of men and women being executed for daring to follow their nature. It wasn't something he could even comprehend.

"I know it wasn't illegal in your kingdom, but … was it frowned upon?" Adam asked.

"No," Tommy said. "Nothing like that. It's just … the people in Vox are much more open about talking about sex … and showing it. In Tousma, a healer would have never come out and mentioned a specific position like that, and we most certainly didn't have sex in public, feast or otherwise."

Adam frowned. "If your healer wouldn't have told you what to avoid, how would you know?"

Tommy shrugged. "He'd probably hint around enough to get the point across."

Adam just shook his head. "Seems silly when just talking plainly is much more efficient."

"I suppose so," Tommy allowed.

Adam reached out, running a hand down Tommy's arm before settling it on his hip. His thumb continued to move, making distracting circles over Tommy's hipbone.

"Back to the matter at hand," Adam said, voice pitched low. "You don't need to be nervous. I'll make it good for you. That is…"

"That is, what?" Tommy asked, somewhat breathlessly as he tried not to squirm under Adam's touch.

"That is," Adam repeated, "unless you don't want me. Status and laws aside, I won't force myself on you, and I won't hold it against you if you say no."

Tommy swallowed. It was the moment of truth. Nerves lacing his voice, Tommy said just above a whisper, "I don't want to say no."

Adam made a noise low in his throat and then he was leaning over Tommy and kissing him, his fingers digging into Tommy's hip. The kiss felt familiar, felt good, so Tommy focused on that instead of the fact that he was naked and getting hard.

Tommy relaxed into the bed and parted his lips when Adam's tongue licked at them, letting Adam in, letting him take control. The kiss grew intense and Adam shifted, climbing up over Tommy, and then he was settling down on top of him, pressing Tommy into the bed and Tommy tensed briefly at the strange feeling of being with someone larger than him. Just when Tommy started to relax again, he felt a knee wedge itself between his and instinctively, he pressed his legs together.

Adam pulled out of the kiss and bit at Tommy's bottom lip, the pinprick of pain bringing Tommy's thoughts into focus.

"Spread your legs for me, Tommy," Adam said.

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath at the order—and it was clearly an order by the look on Adam's face—and slowly, ever so slowly, spread his legs, gasping at the foreign feeling as Adam settled between them, the hard line of his erection pressed alongside Tommy's.

Adam groaned, his forehead dropping to Tommy's. "Mmm," Adam said, his voice rough with arousal. He turned his head and kissed Tommy's temple, down the side of his cheek and over his jaw, mumbling, "So good. You fit so well underneath me."

Tommy shivered and gasped as Adam's mouth moved over his neck, kissing and nipping every spot it came in contact with.

"You like that?" Adam asked. "You like how you fit under me?"

" _Yes_ ," Tommy said, unable to stop his hips from bucking up against Adam when Adam bit down on his earlobe.

Adam chuckled and said, "Then you're going to love this."

Before Tommy could ask what, Adam started grinding down against him, their cocks sliding alongside each other, only separated by the soft material of Adam's pants. Tommy moaned as they rocked against each other while Adam peppered kisses over Tommy's neck and out toward his shoulder, before working his way back again.

Mouth hovering above Tommy's, Adam looked down into his face and asked, "How's your side doing?"

Tommy licked his lips. "What side?"

Adam grinned and dove in, fusing their mouths together in a hard possessive kiss that stole Tommy's breath.

Tommy was so lost in the kiss—as Adam was too, apparently—that it took a minute for him to realize someone was in the room with them, trying to get their attention. Tommy went rigid under Adam, utterly mortified to have been walked in on.

"What…" Adam started as he tried to capture Tommy's lips again.

Tommy twisted his head to the side and gasped, "Not alone."

"Not…" Adam trailed off as he lifted his head and looked toward the door.

Face burning, Tommy looked over and found Taylor standing there, looking scared.

Adam must have read his expression the same way because he tensed and asked urgently, "What is it?"

"It's Jeffery," Taylor said. "You told me to keep an eye and an ear on him, so I went to check on him like I do every morning, and he's in trouble, Adam. I walked in on Lord Randal accusing him of trying to steal your horse."

Adam was up and off Tommy in an instant, grabbing his boots as he barked at Taylor to get his sword.

Tommy sat up, flipping the blanket over his lap to hide his erection. "Let me come with you."

Adam shook his head as he pulled on his second boot. "No. You're confined to chambers."

"But—"

"I said no," Adam interrupted as he stood and towered over the bed, voice brooking no argument. "You will stay here, understand?"

Tommy glared at him as he bit out through his teeth, "Yes, My Lord."

Adam's face softened slightly and he leaned down, pressing his lips to Tommy's. Tommy didn't resist, but he didn't kiss back either. Adam pulled back and looked into his eyes, saying, "I'll take care of him. Trust me."

Tommy swallowed, realizing that he did trust him, despite all the reasons he shouldn't. "Okay."

Adam straightened and took his sword from Taylor when he handed it to him. Without another word, he turned and strode out of the room, leaving Tommy's stomach twisted in knots, fearing Adam wouldn't get there in time.

What Adam saw when he walked into the stables made his blood run cold. Jeffery was on his knees, his arm held stretched out over a wooden stool, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at a second guard who had an ax in the air, ready to come down on his wrist. Off to one side, Randal stood watching with a smirk on his face, while two other guards held a struggling Richard back.

"Guard," Adam barked. "Unhand the boy this instant."

The guard holding Jeffery let go and Jeffery scrambled to his feet, making a mad dash for Adam. Taylor interceded and grabbed Jeffery by his tunic, yanking him around and behind Adam as Randal stepped forward, fury in his eyes.

"Wait just one moment," Randal spat. "That boy is a thief and deserves a thief's punishment."

Hand on the hilt of his sword, the threat clear, Adam asked, "Who gave you the right make rulings and hand out punishments?"

Randal's face turned red with anger. "I am the king's husband. _That_ gives me the right."

Adam took a step toward him and stared him down. "Since you are not coregent, it does no such thing and you know it."

Randal glared back for several seconds before dropping his eyes, lips pressed together in a thin line.

Looking over at the guards holding Richard, then at the two who had been about to cut off Jeffery's hand, Adam said, "Lord Randal does not have the kind of authority he told you he did. You would do well to remember that next time. For now, go. I will deal with you later."

The guards mumbled their apologies and left quickly. Adam turned back to Randal and said, "Why did you think he was stealing my horse?"

Randal pointed at Wild. "I saw him leading that horse out of its stable. I can see no other reason why a kitchen slave would be out here handling him."

Richard stepped forward, venom in the glare he directed at Randal and started, "I tried—"

"Shut up!" Randal roared. "No one told you that you could speak!"

Adam grit his teeth and said to Randal, "Frankly, I would much rather hear him speak than you, so take your own advice and shut up." Turning to Richard, Adam said, "Continue."

Richard nodded and said, "I tried to tell Lord Randal that Jeffery was a stable boy now and had your permission to work the horse, but he would not listen."

"Like I would take the word of a mere freedman," Randal sneered. "You're one step above a slave and that's not saying much."

Adam tensed, not liking the way Randal was talking to Richard. He'd grown up with Richard in charge of the stables and had spent much of his youth around the horses learning all that he could about them from Richard. The man had been like a second father to Adam and Neil in a lot of ways, as busy with running a kingdom as their father had been. The minute Adam had been old enough at eighteen to legally do it, he had released Richard from slavery and made him a freedman.

"You should have listened, Randal," Adam said, "because the _freedman_ was right and you were an idiot as usual."

"Watch your mouth—"

Adam reached out and grabbed a fist full of Randal's tunic, cutting him off as he dragged him in until they were nose to nose. "Watch _your_ mouth, Randal. The king's husband or not, if you had cut off that boy's hand unjustly, I would have seen to it that you paid a steep price."

Randal's jaw dropped in shock. "Over a _slave_? Have you lost your mind?"

Knowing he had to think quick to cover up the true affection he felt for Jeffery, Adam said, "He may be a slave, but he's the only person here at Erus besides Thomas that can handle that horse. I pulled him from the kitchens myself and put him to the task of taking care of my horses for me. He wasn't stealing the white one, he was seeing to its daily exercise."

"How is Thomas anyway," Randal asked, a cruel grin on his face. "I'll bet he's climbing the walls worrying about the boy. I wonder if he'll stay in chambers as you ordered."

And that's when Adam got it. This wasn't about Randal being an ignorant ass, it was about torturing Tommy, trying to get him to break Adam's rules, most probably at Gregory's request. They must have found out somehow that Jeffery meant something to Tommy.

Shoving Randal away from him, Adam said, "Thomas is none of your concern. Now go. And make yourself scarce before I decide to cut out your tongue to stop your annoying voice from reaching my ears."

Randal glared at him for several seconds before stomping out of the stables, slamming the door behind him.

Immediately Jeffery threw his arms around Adam and Adam could feel him shaking. Unable to deny the child, Adam wrapped his arms around him in return and rubbed his back lightly. "It's all right now. You're all right."

"H-he was going to…" Jeffery trailed off and buried his face in Adam's chest.

Adam gave him one final squeeze, then gripped his shoulders, setting him away so he could look down into his face. "But he didn't. Thanks to Taylor, I got here in time. I want you to do something for me, though."

Jeffery nodded. "Anything, My Lord."

"I want you to make yourself scarce whenever he comes around. This morning seemed to be about Tommy, not you, but now that he's been dressed down because of his actions toward you, he will most likely blame you and try to find a way to make you pay. It will be safer for you if you're nowhere to be found when he comes around."

Jeffery nodded and said determinedly, "He will never see me again."

Tommy paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, fear for Jeffery consuming him to the point he actually considered defying Adam, putting on some clothes, and leaving chambers. Not that he would have gotten far anyway with the armed guard posted just outside, but still, the urge was there. Just when Tommy got to the point where he was frustrated enough to yank his own hair out, Taylor walked in, closing the door behind him.

Tommy was across the room in an instant. "What happened? Is Jeffery all right?"

Taylor grabbed Tommy's arm and pulled him deeper into the room and away from the door, saying quietly, "The guard can hear you through the door when you're that close to it."

Tommy didn't much care who heard him at that point, but he allowed himself to be led away anyway, knowing that arguing about it would just delay Taylor giving him any information on Jeffery.

When they were near the middle of the room, Taylor let go of him and said, "Jeffery is fine. Adam got there seconds before one of the guards would have cut his hand off. Lord Randal had accused him of stealing and tricked the guards into believing he had the right to hand down judgment, despite the fact that the king's never given him that kind of authority. Adam called them off and is now visiting all the guard posts and making sure they know that Randal has no such power and is not to be obeyed in the future if he tries something like this again.

Tommy exhaled in relief that Jeffery was all right, then shot Taylor a look as a new worry cropped up. "Doesn't Adam risk the king's ire by undermining his husband?"

Taylor shrugged. "I don't pretend to understand the inner politics of the royal family. You'd have a better idea on that than me, I should think. All I know is that Adam was angry enough to threaten to cut out Randal's tongue if Randal spoke another word, so I doubt very much his uncle's ire is at the top of his list of concerns right now. Besides, King Gregory would have to take the matter before the sovereign if he were to seek to punish Adam for it in any way, would he not? And he'd have nothing to accuse him of, since Adam was right."

Tommy looked at Taylor meaningfully. "There are ways other than involving the law and the sovereign should the king decide to seek retribution against Adam."

Taylor looked worried at that. "I don't think I want to know what they are."

Tommy shook his head. "You really don't. Be thankful you're not part of the royal family, Taylor. It isn't an easy, carefree life as most would like to believe."

Taylor looked at him curiously. "Does that mean you're glad to be rid of your title and instead to be serving as Adam's pleasure slave now?"

Tommy glanced down, tensing as he suddenly remembered he was naked. Even though Taylor had seen him in such a state before, that had been for a purpose. This was just because he was to be on display should Adam decide to return to his chambers and make use of him.

Turning away, Tommy said, "It may not have been an easy life, but it was _my_ life, and I would have never thought to be rid of it or the responsibilities that came with it."

"Yes," Taylor said, "but now that you are rid of them, if you had the chance, would you want them back?"

Tommy turned back to answer Taylor and found Adam had walked in and was watching them. "That's a good question. Would you, Tommy?"

Not sure how to answer that in a way that would both be the truth and not make Adam suspicious of him, Tommy simply stood there and held Adam's gaze.

Under his breath, Taylor mumbled an apology and excused himself. After he was gone, Adam walked over to where Tommy still stood and asked, "Well? Would you?"

Trying to sidestep the issue, Tommy said, "It's not a possibility, so why bother thinking on it?"

"Because I asked you a question," Adam said.

Tommy glowered at him. "Your rule about complete honesty is a pain in the—"

Adam's laughter cut Tommy off, making him glower even more, arms crossed over his chest.

When it appeared Adam wasn't going to stop anytime soon, Tommy said, "I don't know what's so funny."

Adam reined in his laughter and smiled at Tommy. "You are, standing there naked and grumpy and trying to find a way to not answer me without actually defying me."

Tommy turned and stomped away, wishing he had somewhere to go other than just the bed or a chair. Settling on neither, he crossed to the fireplace several feet from the end of the bed and stood, staring into the dying embers.

He felt as much as heard Adam come up behind him and tensed as Adam's hands cupped his shoulders. He relaxed slightly at the kiss to his neck, only to tense right back up when Adam said against his ear, "I'm still waiting for an answer."

Tommy exhaled, shoulders slumping a little as he said, "You know the answer. Of course I would go back if I had a chance. In my position, wouldn't you?"

Adam surprised him by wrapping his arms around him from behind. When Tommy remained tense, Adam said, "Lean back against me."

Tommy struggled against the order for several seconds before he sank back, allowing Adam to support him.

He got a kiss to his shoulder for his obedience, and then Adam said softly, "And to answer your question, yes. I'd go back in a heartbeat."

They fell silent for a few moments and Tommy had to reluctantly admit to himself that he rather liked being in Adam's arms, leaning on him, his back molded to Adam's front.

Remembering how much he'd enjoyed Adam over him and between his legs that morning, Tommy asked, "Did you come back here to pick up where we left off?"

Adam's lips brushed Tommy's earlobe, his tongue licking at Tommy's piercings. Between licks, he asked, "Would you like that?"

Tommy gasped and tilted his head to the side, wishing he understood how Adam could turn his blood to fire so effortlessly. He'd had plenty of bed partners in his lifetime, but none that he'd responded to quite as quickly and completely as he did Adam.

When Tommy didn't answer verbally, Adam nipped at his earlobe, just above his piercings, causing Tommy to suck in a sharp breath and gasp, "Yes."

Adam began licking and kissing Tommy's neck and ear in earnest then, even as one hand found and pinched his nipple. Tommy tried to turn around, but Adam only tightened his arm, trapping Tommy's own arms at his sides and his body against Adam. Tommy squirmed as Adam pinched and rolled his nipple, head falling back onto Adam's shoulder when Adam pinched harder and harder, to the point of pain, but a good kind of pain. It was both a shock to his system and unbelievably arousing. He didn't understand it, but didn't want it to end, either.

"You like that?" Adam asked, voice low and husky.

"Yes," Tommy panted.

Adam released his nipple and Tommy took a deep breath, only to cry out in surprised pleasure-pain when Adam pinched his other nipple, fast and hard.

Nuzzling into Tommy's neck, Adam said, "You have no idea how much I love the fact that you like a little pain."

Tommy chuckled breathlessly. "I didn't even know I did until just now."

"No one's ever done this to you before?"

Tommy turned his head slightly, trying to catch Adam's eye. "I was the crown prince. What do you think?"

"I think it's about time I introduced you to how good a bite can feel," Adam answered.

Tommy tensed. "What—" He broke off, knees buckling as Adam sank his teeth into his shoulder. Instead of letting go right away, Adam held on, teeth digging in, lips sealed around the bite as he sucked on his skin at the same time.

Tommy moaned and pressed himself back against Adam. "Please," he begged, having no idea what he was begging for.

Adam groaned and ground his erection against Tommy's ass, only the fabric of Adam's pants separating them. Adam finally released Tommy's nipple, his hand moving down over Tommy's belly, fingers settling in the hairs just above Tommy's cock.

Lifting his mouth from Tommy's shoulder, Adam asked, "Do you want my touch, Tommy? Do you want my hand wrapped around you?"

"Yes, gods," Tommy said, desperate for it.

Adam complied and Tommy cried out at the sensations tumbling through him.

"I've got another rule for you," Adam said, hand fisting Tommy's cock.

Tommy shivered. "W-what's that?"

"You are not allowed to pleasure yourself."

"What?" Tommy asked, sure he was hearing wrong.

"You are mine, and therefore, your body is mine to do with as I please," Adam said firmly. "And what pleases me is the thought that the only way you can receive pleasure is at my hand."

"You can't be serious," Tommy panted, unable to help but thrust into Adam's hand, despite what he was asking of him.

"I'm completely serious," Adam responded. "If you fight me on it, I'll have the blacksmith make a chastity belt for you. It's a popular accessory for pleasure slaves in Vox, so their owners can control them completely. It'll even keep you from getting hard. Now, are you going to give me your word, or do I send Taylor to fetch the blacksmith so that he can fit you for one?"

"I—" Tommy broke off, riding the edge as Adam worked him hard and fast. Swallowing, Tommy tried again, unable to believe what he was about to agree to. Who had ever heard of denying yourself your own hand? "I give you my word, My Lord. I won't pleasure myself."

"Good," Adam said.

Abruptly, Adam's hand fell away from Tommy's erection. He kept his arm wrapped around Tommy, though, which was a good thing because Tommy was pretty sure he couldn't stand on his own right then.

"Please," Tommy begged. "I need your hand."

Adam nipped at his earlobe. "I will finish you off, I promise. Tonight."

Hands fisted at his sides, cock erect and throbbing with the need to come, Tommy blurted, "You bastard," before he could stop himself.

Adam chuckled. "That close?"

Tommy shuddered in his arms and tried to pull away, but Adam only held him tighter. Taking several deep breaths to calm himself, Tommy asked, "Why?"

"Because I like the idea of you sitting in here, aroused and thinking about me and my hand for the rest of the day while I am forced to deal with my ass of an uncle."

Tommy took a deep breath and exhaled, then said, "So, it's for your pleasure."

Adam kissed the bite mark on Tommy's shoulder. "Mine and yours. I think I've figured something out about you that you haven't figured out about yourself yet. This is the test to see if I'm right."

Tommy dropped his head back on Adam's shoulder again and said, "I don't know if I can do this, Adam."

"You can and you will. For me," Adam replied, kissing him one last time before he released him completely and stepped away.

Erection bobbing in the air, Tommy turned to face him, only to find Adam nearly to the door. "When may I expect you back?"

Adam turned and smiled. "I'll be back when the sun goes down."

The door closed behind Adam and Tommy turned to look out the window, cursing the fact that the sun hadn't even reached its highest point. It was going to be a long day.

To say the day was passing slowly would have been an understatement, Adam decided as he looked out the window and noted the position of the sun. It was descending in the sky finally, but not quickly enough. He should never have said sunset when Tommy asked when he'd be back. He should have said something much more sane and reasonable, like say, midday. As it was, he'd been more interested in the tease than the consequences, and as a result he was having a hard time concentrating on anything.

He eyed a couple of the servants moving about the hall. He could go to one of them, he supposed. He was Tommy's master, not his husband, and therefore not expected to remain faithful, but he found he just … wasn't in the mood. None of them caught his eye the way they normally did.

Adam sighed and shifted in his seat a little. The only one able to hold his interest at the moment, it seemed, was Tommy. And he couldn't have him until sundown.

"The proceedings of this court are boring you that much today?" Gregory asked mildly.

Adam shot his uncle a look. "No. My mind is just on other matters."

"Ahh," Gregory said, a knowing smile playing at his lips. "Your pleasure slave."

Adam fought the urge to tense up, not quite sure if his uncle was pleased or mocking him. His uncle being pleased with anything Adam said or did seemed unlikely, given the handful of times it had happened over the years. Be that as it may, though, his uncle didn't seem to be mocking him, either.

"What if it is?" Adam finally settled on asking dismissively, as if it didn't matter either way.

Gregory chuckled. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. He's pretty enough, and he's a spoil of war to boot." Gregory glanced around, then leaned over the arm of his throne to say to Adam quietly, "Tell me. Does he enjoy it when you fuck him? Or does he fight against it?"

Adam clenched his teeth, his hands gripping the arms of his chair so hard he was sure they were going to crack. His uncle's gaze was tinged around the edges with a slight madness that Adam hadn't seen in years. The memory made him sick and angry by turns, and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to run Gregory through with a sword.

Getting himself under control, Adam forced a smirk on his face and said enigmatically, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Gregory's eyes danced with amusement. "I'll bet he fights."

Before anything else could be said on the subject, the court clerk announced the next matter before them. Adam took a deep breath and exhaled as Gregory set about conducting court business again. Who would have thought that all he had to do was take a pleasure slave to gain his uncle's approval?

Adam glanced out the window again. It was almost time for the evening meal, which meant the sun setting was that much closer. Thank the gods.


	7. Chapter 7

Tommy paced Adam's chambers in a state of hyper-arousal, his erection having come and gone several times over the course of the day. He glanced out the window for the millionth time and his stomach did a little flip. The sun was mostly gone, just a sliver still visible above the tree line in the distance. It was almost time. Crossing to the window, Tommy watched, excitement and nerves coiled in his gut as the sun slipped the rest of the way down, disappearing from sight, leaving a soft glow along the tops of trees in its wake.

On cue, the chamber door creaked open. Tommy whipped around just as Adam stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Of their own volition, Tommy's legs carried him across the room almost before he could process it. He stopped short inches from Adam, hands fisted at his sides in an attempt to keep from throwing himself at Adam. Normally, he didn't have much use for pride, but since he'd been stripped of everything—including the clothes on his back—it was all he had left and he'd be damned if he was going to give Adam that last scrap of himself without a fight.

One of Adam's eyebrows shot up and an amused smirk curled the corners of his mouth. "Is there something you want?"

Tommy's gaze dropped to Adam's mouth and he licked his lips. He could practically taste Adam's kiss, could almost feel Adam's body against his.

"You promised," Tommy said shortly, eyes flicking up to Adam's.

Adam's smirk widened to a smile. With a teasing glint in his blue eyes, Adam asked, "I promised what?"

Tommy swallowed, cheeks heating as he said, "You promised to finish me off."

"Ahh, yes," Adam said, as if he'd only just remembered. "So I did." Stepping back, his gaze ran over Tommy from head to toe and back again, lingering on Tommy's cock, which was at half mast. "And did you follow the rule? Did you deny yourself your own hand?"

Tommy's gaze dropped, embarrassed over the rule and how eager he'd been to obey even though he'd desperately wanted to finish himself off. Several times over the course of the day he'd nearly given into the urge to touch himself, reasoning there was no way possible that Adam would know, that anyone would know. But _he'd_ know. He'd know he disobeyed Adam and would either have to lie to him when Adam inevitably asked, or tell the truth and face the consequences. He had no idea what those consequences might be, but he was in no hurry to find out.

And then there was the fact that it had inexplicably aroused him to follow Adam's insane rule.

Adam touched a finger under Tommy's chin, urging his head back up.

When their eyes met again, Adam asked, "Is that pretty little blush staining your cheeks because you disobeyed, or because you obeyed and liked the challenge in spite of yourself?"

Tommy swallowed, remembering the honesty rule and hating it just a little right then. "I didn't disobey."

Adam shook his head, making a tsking noise. "No, Tommy. No skirting around the real answer. Tell me."

Tommy's felt his already hot face heat even more. Sure he would burst into flames at any moment, Tommy admitted haltingly, "I-I liked it. The challenge."

Adam's pleased grin did things to Tommy's insides that he didn't understand. It made him feel warm and mushy and pissed off all at the same time. This was supposed to be an _act_ dammit. A means to an end. He was only supposed to be biding his time until Monte got word to him that it was time. He wasn't supposed to get caught up in his role.

Closing off, Tommy stepped back and glanced away, body tensing.

"Hey," Adam said, following him. He cupped Tommy's chin and made him look at him again. "What just happened? Why did you shut down on me?"

Tommy pressed his lips together and considered not answering. But there was a glint in Adam's eyes, past the curiosity, past the affection, that warned Tommy off of pushing too hard.

Taking a deep breath, words started tumbling from Tommy's mouth. All the frustration and confusion he'd been feeling since he'd been taken as a slave and found himself wanting Adam came out in a rush. "I just. I don't understand this. Or you. Or-or me, or why I wanted to follow your order today. Not to mention why I want you in the first place when I've never had these … urges for a man before."

Adam's gaze softened and suddenly Tommy found himself pulled forward. Adam's arms wrapped around him, holding Tommy against him. For a moment Tommy held himself stiff and tense, then decided he was being ridiculous and defiant, neither of which became a pleasure slave. And he was a pleasure slave— _Adam's_ pleasure slave—for all intents and purposes, no matter that he was just biding his time until the plan could be put into motion and he could take his rightful place as king of Tousma again.

Tommy felt lips press against his temple, and then Adam asked quietly, "I told you before I have no interest in forcing you. Do I need to back off?"

Tommy closed his eyes and swallowed. As much as it would make things easier, it also made him ache somewhere deep down inside at the thought of Adam leaving him to himself. Heart pounding in his ears, Tommy wrapped his arms around Adam's waist in return and turned his face so his mouth was pressed to Adam's chest through the material of his tunic.

Taking a deep breath, Tommy said, "No. I-I don't want you to back off."

Tommy felt air brush the side of his head and realized Adam had been holding his breath, waiting on his answer. Adam's arms slid from around Tommy and then there were hands at Tommy's shoulders, setting him away. Tommy looked up at Adam and steeled himself against the serious look in Adam's eyes.

"Consider this moment as if it was the true ceremony, not that sham in front of the king the other day. You have a choice to make. Accept me as your master and yourself as my pleasure slave, or decline. But know that I won't ask you again, so be sure. From here on out, if you agree, I _will_ assume your consent, just as any master would post ceremony."

"And if I don't?" Tommy couldn't help but ask.

"If you don't, I'll respect that. We'll keep up the pretense in front of others because it's in both our interests, but in private, I won't lay a hand on you," Adam said, face open and honest.

Tommy knew he should do the sane thing and decline. Adam was giving him a way out. All he had to do was take it. Instead, he found himself sliding to his knees, hands moving behind his back to clasp at each other, the perfect picture of submission, and it felt … right.

"I accept, My Lord. I do not need you to ask me again. I am yours."

Adam muttered a curse under his breath and stepped forward, one hand sliding into Tommy's hair to grip it. Tommy bit back a moan as Adam held his head still, forcing him to look up.

"Get on the bed on your back, legs spread, arms over your head."

Tommy waited until Adam released his hair, then stood and crossed to the bed, hyperaware of his nudity and the fact that Adam was watching him. With only a second's hesitation given this was to be his first time with a man, Tommy did as he was told, fingers curling over the edge of the bed above his head. Awkwardly, he spread his legs, unsure whether he should have his knees bent, feet planted on the bed, or legs out straight. He settled on straight and splayed wide. He only jumped a little when Adam walked over and brought a hand to rest on his ankle.

Their eyes met and Adam asked, "Nervous?"

Tommy nodded.

"The words, Tommy," Adam said. "I want your words."

Tommy licked his lips and admitted out loud, "Yes."

Adam's hand slid up Tommy's leg, fingers tracing the inside of his calf, then his knee, then his thigh, stopping just short of brushing Tommy's balls. Adam dug his fingernails into the tender flesh of Tommy's inner thigh and Tommy arched off the bed, head pressing back into the pillow beneath it, a hiss of pleasure-pain escaping his lips.

"You like that," Adam said.

It was a statement, not a question, but Tommy answered anyway. "Yes."

Adam did it again, that time scraping his nails down toward Tommy's knee a little and Tommy moaned, spreading his legs wider. He didn't understand for the life of him how the pain was giving him pleasure, but he wasn't about to argue the fact, not when it was making his dick throb.

"Please," Tommy said brokenly when Adam merely brushed his fingers, feather light, up the underside of Tommy's cock

Adam climbed on the bed and lay down on his side facing Tommy, head propped up on one arm. "Please, what?" Adam asked, voice suddenly right next to Tommy's ear.

Tommy jumped a little, mouth opening as he tried to catch his breath. "Please touch me."

Immediately Adam wrapped his hand around Tommy's dick and started pumping.

Tommy cried out and bucked up, only to feel Adam squeeze his dick. Hard.

"Lie still." Tommy nodded and Adam relaxed his grip slightly. "Tell me why you need to understand this."

Tommy's eyes widened. "Now?"

Adam smiled, hand moving lazily up and down Tommy's cock. "If you don't, I'll keep you on the edge like this for hours."

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the urge to buck his hips up into Adam's fist and _take_ his pleasure. Between gasps for air, Tommy managed to say, "B-because otherwise I can't be prepared for whatever happens next."

"Why do you need to be?" Adam asked, sounding for all the world like he was only mildly curious.

Tommy turned his head and stared into Adam's eyes, losing himself in them and the rhythm Adam had set up with his fist. Before he could stop himself, he blurted, "Because a king always needs to be prepared."

Adam's hand stilled on Tommy's cock, although he didn't release it, and Tommy sucked in a sharp breath, unable to believe he'd said that.

Not unkindly, Adam said, "But you aren't a king anymore."

Tommy didn't want to lie, didn't want to break the honesty rule, so instead of answering straight out, he answered with what was most important in that moment. "I was groomed to be king. My whole life was about one day taking the throne and leading my people, same as you. I was taught to always think five paces ahead, to anticipate what would happen next and be prepared for it. It's not a mindset I can't switch off so easily."

Adam stared at him for a moment before eventually nodding. "I understand."

Tommy exhaled and tried to ignore the urge to thrust up into Adam's fist, no matter that he was so hard he nearly hurt.

After a moment, Adam started pumping him again. "I understand," Adam reiterated, then went on, "but I expect you to fight that mindset and learn your place."

Tommy tensed and opened his mouth to say something, but Adam shut him up with a look and continued to pleasure him as he kept talking. "You need to do this as much for yourself as because I'm ordering it. You're not king. You never will be again. You're my _slave_. You're body is mine to take pleasure from, and to give to it when I choose. You have no power, no people to take care of. The sooner you accept that and believe it, the better it will be for both of us. As long as you keep thinking like a king, you endanger your life and you chance ruining my future. One misstep in front of the wrong person and my uncle will take us both down. With pleasure."

Tommy knew what Adam was saying was true. He got why Adam was pushing so hard, why he had made a big deal about redoing the ceremony, why he'd made it a point to spell out to Tommy that he fully intended to treat him as any other pleasure slave. He was trying to get Tommy to see himself that way for both their sakes.

Knowing his life and Adam's future throne depended on Tommy adjusting and accepting his role—however short-term—Tommy made himself relax back against the bed and let Adam do what he wanted with him.

"That's it," Adam said, smiling down at Tommy. "Just let go. Give yourself to me. I promise you won't regret it."

Tommy bit his bottom lip and tried not to think about the fact that he knew without a doubt that he _would_ regret it eventually. Just as Adam would.

Closing his eyes against Adam's penetrating stare, Tommy pushed his head back into the pillow and let himself _feel_. Adam's fist was tight around him, sliding up and down his length in a steady rhythm, thumbing the head on every upstroke, twisting a little on every down stroke.

It was heaven and hell all at once. Heaven because Adam knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it amazingly well, and hell because Tommy had been on edge _all day_ and at the pace Adam was taking it, it didn't appear he had any intention of ending the torture anytime soon.

When Tommy felt lips on his neck, he arched, giving Adam better access. Adam picked up speed on his cock and Tommy wondered if that was a reflex or a reward. He got his answer a moment later when Adam hooked a leg over one of Tommy's and pulled it toward him. Tommy willingly accommodated, bending at the knees to spread his legs even wider. Again Adam's hand sped up.

Tommy panted and turned his head toward Adam, opening bleary eyes to stare at him. Adam stared back for a moment before leaning in for a kiss. Tommy opened eagerly, moaning when Adam's tongue slid into his mouth. Tommy licked at Adam's tongue, reciprocating but not trying to take over. Adam's hand sped up and Tommy's fingers dug into the edge of the bed. He had to press his butt down against the bed in order to keep from thrusting up into Adam's fist.

Adam broke the kiss and nipped at Tommy's ear, saying in a low, thick voice, "Good boy."

Tommy panted and tossed his head back and forth, the urge to move his hips almost overwhelming. "C-can't—"

"Yes you can," Adam said firmly. "You will."

Tommy clenched his jaw. His thighs tightened and relaxed reflexively. His arms shook with the tension in them and his hands ached from clutching the bed edge so tightly.

Adam pressed a kiss to the underside of Tommy's arm. "You may come when you're ready."

Tommy's eyes flew to Adam's. He hadn't realized he'd need permission for that too.

As if reading his mind, Adam chuckled. "From now on, though, if you don't ask, I won't offer. Even when you do ask, sometimes I'll tell you no, just because of how gorgeous you look like this, desperate for it."

"B-bastard," Tommy bit out, voice gone raspy with need.

"Maybe I should take back my permission, since I'm such a bastard."

Tommy's eyes opened wide, all thought to holding on to his pride out the window. "Please, no. I'm sorry. W-won't call you that again. Promise."

Adam's smile was easy and warm and more than a little turned on. "Lucky for you I like my bed partners mouthy."

In spite of how close to the edge he was, Tommy found himself grinning in reply. "In that case, you're an absolute ass for making me wait all day for this."

Adam threw back his head and laughed, even as his hand sped up again and tightened, letting Tommy know he approved. One more twist, one more rub over the head of his cock with the pad of Adam's thumb and that was it. Tommy pressed his head back against the bed, body arching as he came, a cry of pleasure escaping his lips as his release spilled over his stomach and chest.

Tommy's body stayed locked for a long moment before he sank back on the bed, suddenly boneless, body singing with pleasure and aftershocks as Adam gave his cock a couple of more pumps, not letting go until Tommy whimpered, overstimulated.

Tommy's stomach contracted when Adam swiped a finger through the mess on it. His whole body tightened when he felt Adam reach between his legs and finger his hole with a come-slick finger.

"Shh," Adam said, mouthing along the side of his neck. "Relax. I won't hurt you."

Tommy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on releasing all the tension in his body as he exhaled. He relaxed somewhat and opened his eyes again, focusing on Adam.

Adam held his gaze as he pushed his finger inside. "All right?" he asked.

Tommy bit his bottom lip and nodded, then remembered Adam wanted words and said, "Yes. Just feels … odd."

Adam smiled. "Give me a minute and odd will be the last thing you use to describe it."

Tommy snorted, but didn't bother arguing. He'd said the same thing to more than one virgin girl, and by the end they'd been writhing and moaning on his cock. And then Tommy was hit with the realization that now he was going to be the one writhing and moaning on a cock. Instead of it turning him off, his dick twitched, valiantly trying to come back to life.

Adam fucked him with his finger a couple of times and Tommy felt … something sneaking in around the edges of the odd feeling, something almost … pleasurable. Before the feeling could take hold, though, Adam slid his finger out. Tommy made a noise of protest and Adam's face lit up. He swiped two fingers through the mess on Tommy's stomach and returned to Tommy's ass, pressing them both in together. Tommy let his legs fall open even wider, arching his hips up to meet Adam's thrusts inside, chasing the feeling that had eluded him the first time. And then Adam touched something that sent sparks flying through Tommy's body, from his fingertips to his toes.

Tommy arched and gasped. "W-what was that?"

Adam chuckled. "Feel good?"

"Gods, yes," Tommy said, thrusting against Adam's fingers more vigorously.

Adam pulled out of him again, swiped his fingers through what was left of Tommy's spend and reached between his legs once more. When he started to push in that time, Tommy's eyes widened and he shook his head, realizing Adam meant to put three fingers in him.

"Won't fit."

"Yes they will," Adam said firmly. "I'm bigger than this and I'll fit, so they definitely will."

"No, please," Tommy begged, suddenly too scared to go through with it.

He let go of the bed above his head where he'd still been holding on and pushed at Adam's hand as he tried to close his legs. In response, Adam abandoned his attempt to push his fingers into Tommy in favor of grabbing both of Tommy's wrists and forcing them back up above Tommy's head. Holding them there with one hand, Adam pried Tommy's knees apart and slid his hand back to Tommy's hole. Instead of trying to push in again, he started massaging it. Light, teasing strokes that made Tommy squirm and gasp, even as his stomach continued to flip over and over anxiously.

"Look at me," Adam ordered. Tommy met and held Adam's gaze, fear and anger warring for dominance inside him, even though he didn't fight Adam's hold on him. "Your body is mine. Mine to use and mine to pleasure."

Tommy wasn't too sure about this whole thing—was scared truth be told—but one thing he was figuring out fast was that it helped when Adam used that tone of voice and told him what to do. Tommy didn't know what to make of that. He'd never had a partner order him around in bed before.

Tommy swallowed, the firmness and calm in Adam's voice grounding him, bringing him back from the edge of panic. He calmed and relaxed in Adam's hold, swallowing hard as he forced his legs back open, showing his surrender. As much as the authority in Adam's voice helped, it also helped that Tommy could see the truth in Adam's eyes, the truth he wasn't saying. If Tommy really didn't want this, Adam would back off despite what he'd just said, no matter that he had the right to use Tommy's body as he pleased.

"Good. All right. If I let go, are you going to fight me?"

"No."

Adam studied him for a moment, then released him and climbed off the bed. Tommy started to straighten his legs, but Adam stopped him cold. "Keep them open. I'm just getting some oil."

Tommy nodded and let his legs fall open once again, hands still above his head and crossed at the wrists, the way Adam had left them. Heat suffused his cheeks at the total wantonness of the position, even as it made his cock twitch.

Adam came back with a bottle of oil in his hand and put it on the bedside table, then stood by the bed and stripped. Tommy watched him, dick jumping as each bit of freckled skin was revealed … until Adam undid the belt holding his trousers up and dropped them, revealing his erection, which Tommy was absolutely positive was _never_ going to fit inside him.

Tommy didn't even realize he was panting with anxiety again until Adam climbed back on the bed. Laying on his side, Adam rubbed a hand over Tommy's stomach, making shushing noises. When Tommy finally calmed a little, Adam smiled down at him and said, "Would it help if I told you I've fucked many men and not one of them has split in two?"

Tommy snorted. "They must like pain, then."

Something dark and heated flashed through Adam's eyes. "I do believe we've established that you do, too."

Tommy shook his head. "Not that kind of pain."

Adam leaned down and kissed Tommy's lips, taking his time until Tommy melted into the bed and moaned into the kiss.

Pulling back, Adam said, "There won't be pain. I promise. Trust me."

Tommy stared up at him and nodded, throat dry.

Adam reached for the oil and opened it, drizzling some on Tommy's stomach, right over his belly button. Adam set the oil back on the nightstand and swirled his fingers through the pool of it on Tommy's skin before reaching back between Tommy's legs to touch his hole. Tommy breathed deep, making himself relax as he exhaled, and then Adam was pushing in, pushing deep, and Tommy could feel the slide, feel the stretch, feel the discomfort, but true to Adam's word, there was no pain. When Tommy felt Adam's hand bump up against his ass, he realized Adam was all the way in. With _three_ fingers.

"Wow," Tommy said, staring at Adam in wonder.

Adam grinned. "I told you that you could take it."

Tommy felt his face heat. "Sorry. I'm normally in better control of myself than that."

Adam silenced him with a kiss and started finger fucking him, stretching him open, fingers massaging that place inside that Tommy was starting to fall a little bit in love with. He moaned and pushed down against Adam's fingers as his dick lengthened and filled. A few more thrusts and Adam pulled his fingers free. Quickly, Adam swiped his hand through the oil on Tommy's stomach and climbed up over him, settling between Tommy's thighs as he reached for his cock and slicked it up. Tommy watched him through hooded eyes, all fear gone, leaving only arousal and a little bit of nerves in its wake.

Adam hooked Tommy's uninjured leg over his arm and braced his hand on the bed. With his other hand, he lined himself up. And then he was pushing into Tommy and Tommy was taking it, breathing deeply, wrists still crossed above his head.

"T-touch," Tommy asked, hands fisting. "Please. Need to touch you."

Adam nodded his head and Tommy's hands flew to Adam's shoulders. He pulled Adam in, pulled him down, and then they were kissing while Adam worked his hips against him, getting a little deeper with each thrust until Tommy felt Adam's balls against his ass and knew Adam was all the way in.

Adam stilled, breaking the kiss to ask, "Need a moment?"

Tommy nodded and pulled Adam down again, thankful Adam was indulging him, letting him have a little bit of control this first time. Their tongues licked over each other and inside each other's mouths, taking and giving until Tommy was breathless with the wonder of it and the knowledge that Adam was _inside_ him.

Pulling out of the kiss, Tommy said softly, "I'm ready."

"Thank the gods," Adam said, voice sounding desperate as he started to pull out.

He thrust in as slowly as he pulled out and Tommy moaned, finding he enjoyed being fucked much, much more than he'd ever expected.

"Feel good?" Adam asked, voice low.

Tommy groaned as Adam's next thrust rubbed over that place inside. " _So_ good."

Thrusting slow and easy inside him, Adam leaned down and bit Tommy's shoulder.

Tommy twitched and squeaked in pain and arousal. "What—"

"That's for doubting me," Adam said, a teasing grin on his lips as he lifted his head back up.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Maybe you could scold me after you're done fucking me?"

Heat flashed through Adam's eyes, darkening them. "Good idea."

There wasn't a lot of talking after that as Adam thrust into Tommy over and over, faster and harder until Tommy had to let go of Adam's shoulders and reach up above him to brace his hands against the headboard so his head wouldn't slam into it. He moaned and writhed on Adam's dick, begging for more and harder and faster and just … _more_. Adam gave him everything he asked for and then some, groaning and whispering filthy things to him as he fucked him.

When Tommy felt the familiar tingle at the base of his spine as his balls tightened, he remembered he needed permission and gasped, "Please. Need to come."

"Not yet," Adam said, voice hard. "Hold on a little longer for me, Tommy."

Tommy whimpered and writhed, hands scrambling at the headboard ineffectually, head thrashing back and forth. "C-can't—"

"If you come before I give you permission, I'll fit you for a chastity belt so fast your head will spin," Adam warned.

Tommy cried in frustration, trying to think of any and every turn off he could in an attempt to keep from coming.

It worked, barely, and then Adam's thrusts were coming faster and out of rhythm and he finally said, "Do it. Come for me," punctuating it with several long hard thrusts in a row to that spot inside that drove Tommy insane.

Tommy seized up and screamed as his orgasm ripped through him, toes curling and asshole clenching around Adam's cock. Adam thrust into him a couple more times then slammed in one last time and froze, groaning long and loud, his cock jerking and twitching inside Tommy.

Tommy relaxed back on the bed, boneless for the second time in an hour and shocked silent by it, and by the sensation of Adam coming inside him. Eventually, Adam pulled out and dropped to the side, leaving Tommy to stare at the ceiling and wince a little as some of Adam's spend leaked out of him. Tommy felt the bed move, but didn't think much of it until suddenly Adam was running a wet cloth over Tommy's stomach and down between his legs.

Tommy's face heated and he mumbled, "Shouldn't I be taking care of you?"

"My choice, Tommy, not yours. I like to do this, so shut up and let me."

Tommy clamped his mouth shut, embarrassment winding through him, even as his stomach fluttered at the careful way Adam attended to him.

Afterwards, Adam tossed the cloth aside and climbed back into bed, pulling the covers up over them. Tommy shivered as his body cooled and he realized just how much the temperature in the room had dropped since sunset.

"Cold?" Adam asked softly.

Tommy nodded. "A little."

"Come here," Adam said, lifting the blanket and his arm along with it.

Tommy slid over and snuggled in against Adam, one leg sliding between Adam's, one arm over Adam's waist, his face pressed to the side of Adam's neck. Adam settled the blanket around them and wrapped his arm around Tommy, pulling him closer yet.

"I need to cuff you," Adam murmured sometime later.

Tommy inhaled Adam's scent and breathed out slowly. "I know. Just a couple of more minutes, please?"

"If I fall asleep, I trust you to take care of it." Adam said, his arm tightened around Tommy.

Tommy had to swallow hard against the guilt that slammed through him any time Adam alluded to trusting him.

"Thank you," Tommy said in a small voice, but Adam was already drifting off, arm resting heavily on Tommy's waist as his breathing evened out.

In the silence that followed, only broken by the crackle of the fireplace, Tommy laid very still and tried desperately to find a way around killing Adam when the time came.

"These are for me?" Tommy asked, staring at the tunic and undergarment Taylor had left lying on display on the bed. He'd been fitted for clothing several days ago—the morning after the first time he and Adam had sex, in fact—but this was the first glimpse he was getting of his actual garments.

"They are. Do you like them?" Adam asked from directly behind him, one arm circled around Tommy's waist, holding Tommy's naked body back against his.

Adam, Tommy had discovered, loved to touch and be touched. Tommy still wasn't used to how often he ended up with Adam wrapped around him whenever they were in the same room. Just because he wasn't used to it, though, didn't mean he didn't enjoy it.

Tommy swallowed and reached out, fingering the silk of the tunic. It was sheer, richer and more delicate than anything Tommy had ever worn for day-to-day wear as the crowned prince. In fact, it was right on par with the ceremonial garbs Tommy had worn before his enslavement, with one glaring difference. It was very nearly see-through. It didn't give him much comfort that at least the undergarment was opaque.

"I—" Tommy began, then broke off.

"The truth," Adam reminded him.

Tommy took a deep breath and said, "It's beautiful. And much softer than my previous slave clothing."

Adam's arms slipped from around Tommy's waist and came up to squeeze his shoulders lightly. "But?"

Tommy bit his bottom lip briefly, then blurted, "But it will leave little to the imagination."

Adam wrapped both arms around Tommy's waist that time and leaned in, resting his chin on Tommy's shoulder. "It's another adjustment you need to make. This is what pleasure slaves wear here in Vox. As I'm sure you've noticed, we as a people are very open with our bodies, and so it is expected that pleasure slaves are to be on display in public. I'm actually surprised tradition allows for clothing for you at all, to be honest."

Tommy took another deep breath and thanked the gods for that at least. "I just … need a minute."

Adam pressed a kiss to his shoulder and stepped away. Tommy suppressed a shiver as the cool morning air whispered over skin previously warmed by Adam's body.

Tommy stared at the clothing a moment more before grabbing up the undergarment. Quickly, he slipped it on and tied it at the waist with the silk belt provided. Next came the tunic. Picking it up, he stared at it, rubbing the sheer fabric between his fingers and his thumb for a moment before lifting it and dropping it over his head. It slid down to cover his torso and he put his arms through the slits on the sides, dismayed to find he would not even have sleeves of any sort.

The silk laid against his skin, falling to mid-thigh and feeling heavenly after the coarse fabrics he'd been wearing since becoming a spoil of war. He closed his eyes as he remembered the last time he'd worn silk. It had been after the birth of Monte's and Lisa's twins. While childbirth itself was rife with danger, the successful birth of twins wherein the mother also survived was rare and considered worthy of a celebration.

Tommy tried to breathe through the pain of the memories of a better time, a time when his kingdom hadn't been swallowed whole by another and his people had been free. _He'd_ been free.

Hands closed over his silk-covered shoulders and Adam stepped back in close, saying against the side of his head, "Talk to me."

Without thinking it through, mainly because he'd become somewhat accustomed to Adam's insistence that he not hold back his thoughts or feelings, Tommy said, "The last time I wore garments like this was in celebration of the birth of my twin cousins."

Adam sucked in a sharp breath. "Twins? Were they Monte's children? The ones you said died of influenza last winter?"

Surprised Adam had remembered Monte's name since Tommy made a point of never mentioning him, not since that first day on the field when he'd told Adam that Monte was dead and his family along with him, Tommy just nodded, biting his bottom lip and hoping against hope he wouldn't have to break Adam's truth rule.

Adam sighed, turning Tommy around and pulling him into the circle of his arms.

Normally, Tommy enjoyed Adam's hugs. Now, though, it just made him feel disgusted with himself. Tommy's pride in obeying Adam's rule commanding the truth from him at all times was a joke. If he'd truly been obeying it, he would have disclosed his and Monte's plan from the start. Instead, he'd let the lie of what really happened to Monte and his family stand, and worse yet, continued to conceal a plot to overthrow Adam's kingdom that involved killing him and those he loved.

A hand rubbed over Tommy's back and it made him hate himself a little more. He tried to pull back, but Adam just held him tighter until Tommy gave in and sank against him, bringing his own arms up around Adam's waist. He turned his face and pressed it against Adam's neck and just breathed.

"I wish things could have gone differently," Adam said at last.

Tommy lifted his head and stared up at Adam's face. "You mean that, don't you?"

Adam nodded. "I do." He looked for a second like he had more to say, but then the look was gone and he was leaning down, taking Tommy's lips in a sweet, tender kiss.

Tommy kissed him back, pushing away the guilt and self-disgust in favor of enjoying what time he had with Adam before Monte got word to him that it was time to enact the plan.

After a moment, Adam broke the kiss and stepped back, eyeing Tommy from head to toe. "You look amazing in that. Put on the belt."

Tommy did so, then stood before Adam and waited, baffled to find he felt slightly odd being dressed again after so many days spent naked.

Adam nodded his head. "Almost perfect."

Tommy's eyebrows rose in question. "Almost?"

Adam crossed to the chest at the end of the bed and opened it, pulling out a rich, velvet cloth that was folded over and very obviously holding something inside. Walking over with it, Adam set it on the bed and unfolded it, revealing two diamond encrusted triangles with a single loop at one end of each and a clasp at the other, along with a matching diamond encrusted collar.

Tommy swallowed.

Picking up one of the triangles, Adam said, "Hold out your hand."

Tommy did so and soon discovered the loop was for his middle finger. Adam laid the triangle of diamonds over the back of Tommy's hand and fitted the clasping end around Tommy's wrist, locking it shut with a key he produced from his satchel. Dutifully, Tommy held out his other hand and Adam did the same.

Looking at Tommy's hands afterwards, Adam asked, "Did you have these in Tousma?"

Tommy shook his head.

"They're called slave bracelets," Adam said. "They're worn by pleasure slaves of royalty. Something to set them apart."

"Like I need even more to do that," Tommy said, shaking his fringe into his face a little, both to make a point and to hide his expression.

His emotions were a jumble, somewhere between pleased Adam was adorning him with beautiful things and anger at himself for being pleased over such a thing, especially considering he couldn't take them off if he wanted to. With the way they were fitted, he'd never be able to work the loop off his finger, and even if he could, there was the matter of the locked clasp at his wrist to contend with. Essentially, it was further proof of his enslavement.

In response to Tommy's comment alluding to his hair, Adam reached up and tucked his fringe behind his ear, it having grown out enough to do so. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't generally keep my own slaves."

"I did notice," Tommy said, lifting his eyes to Adam's.

It was something he'd wanted to ask Adam about, but never got around to. Now didn't seem the time either, even though Adam had brought it up, because it looked like Adam had something else to say and was trying to find the right words.

"Then know that I love that your hair sets you apart. To my way of thinking, it makes you mine. Yes, it symbolizes your status as a spoil of war, but if you'd been just a regular knight captured with the rest of the army, my uncle wouldn't have cared at all about breaking you, and therefore he wouldn't have given you to me."

Put that way, Tommy found himself a little thankful for his fringe of hair. Swallowing, Tommy said softly, "I am glad he forced this on us as well."

Adam's smile was blinding. He sobered after a few seconds and picked up the collar. "This is also something worn by pleasure slaves of royalty."

Tommy nodded and lifted his chin, giving Adam access to his neck. Adam stepped forward and slipped the collar around Tommy's neck, fastening it at the back with the key he'd used on the cuffs. Afterwards, he deposited the key back in the satchel hanging from his waist.

"I'm the only one who can remove them," Adam said needlessly.

Tommy didn't think he should be turned on by that, but he found he was. Silently, he wondered if there was something wrong with him. Maybe he'd hit his head along the way somewhere and just didn't remember it. It was the only explanation as to why he liked all these things Adam did to him and with him. Either that or he had to face the fact that he indeed enjoyed being owned. A thought that disconcerted him greatly.

Adam ran his finger along the top edge of the collar lightly. "The shop keeper assured me the smooth underlay and curved edges would make this comfortable to wear. Was he truthful?"

"Yes, My Lord. It's comfortable." Heat suffused Tommy's cheeks as he found himself admitting without prompting, "I like it."

Adam's pleased smile made Tommy's stomach flutter. Quickly the pleased look on his face turned to a heated one and he slipped a finger between the collar and Tommy's throat, pulling Tommy to him. Tommy sucked in a sharp breath when Adam snaked an arm around his waist and ground against him. Adam was hard.

Leaning in, Adam nipped at Tommy's bottom lip, then said against his mouth, "I find I am in need of your mouth before we join the others for the evening meal."

Tommy shivered. He had yet to suck Adam off, mainly because Adam normally couldn't wait to fuck him whenever they were alone together. Nervous and excited at once, Tommy slid to his knees and reached out, running his hands up the fronts of Adam's thighs, gaze on Adam's face, watching for his reaction.

Adam stared down at him through hooded eyes as Tommy slid his fingers up under Adam's tunic and over his hips. When Tommy encountered the waistline of Adam's undergarment, he found and loosened the tie, then dragged the undergarment down around Adam's knees.

Pushing Adam's tunic up to his waist, Tommy stared at the erection in front of him, nerves making his breath short as he leaned in and tentatively licked at the head. Adam groaned, spurring Tommy on and Tommy licked at it again, lifting a drop of moisture from it. He tasted it, weighing what he thought about it and deciding it tasted strange, but not bad.

"Take me in your mouth," Adam instructed, reaching down to hold his tunic out of the way, freeing Tommy's hands from the task.

Tommy slid one hand to Adam's hip to stabilize himself, and wrapped the other around Adam's dick. Leaning in, Tommy parted his lips and fed the tip of Adam's cock into his mouth. He closed his lips around it, tongue darting out to lick more pre-come from Adam's slit, encouraged by Adam's moan of pleasure.

A hand made its way to the back of Tommy's head, and he felt Adam press him forward, encouraging him to take more. Tommy opened wider and more of Adam slid into his mouth. Tommy groaned at the feeling of it, sinking down around Adam until his lips met his hand.

"That's it," Adam said breathlessly. "Take my cock. Gods you look so pretty with your lips wrapped around me."

Tommy looked up at Adam through his eyelashes and moaned around him, turned on by the way Adam was talking to him. Slowly, he pulled off Adam's dick until only the tip was in his mouth again. Using what he knew he liked when being pleasured this way, Tommy sucked on the head, flicking his tongue at the tip repeatedly. He watched as Adam's head dropped back and the grip on the back of Tommy's tightened.

Adam cursed, then lifted his head and looked down the length of his body at Tommy. "Keep that up and I'll come much too soon."

Tommy would have grinned if he didn't have a mouth full of cock, but he did, so he settled on moaning around Adam, trying to communicate how much he wanted to make Adam lose himself that way.

Adam got it, and smirked. "So, you want to make me come sooner rather than later, is that it?"

Tommy answered by sucking harder at the head of Adam's dick.

"Open wide, boy," Adam said. "I'm going to fuck your mouth."

Tommy groaned and opened, his own dick filling as Adam made good on his word and used Tommy's mouth for his own pleasure. Closing his eyes, Tommy concentrated on breathing and sucking and working his hand over the part of Adam he couldn't fit in his mouth, until Adam's thrusts sped up and started to fall out of rhythm, signaling he was close.

"Open your eyes," Adam panted, thrusting faster and faster.

Tommy opened them and stared up at Adam, feeling suddenly powerful as Adam shuddered and lost his rhythm completely.

"Keep your eyes on mine until I come," Adam ordered.

Tommy moaned around him and sucked harder, wanting desperately for Adam to explode in his mouth. _Because_ of his mouth.

Adam groaned, pulling Tommy's head in as he thrust forward harder and faster until Tommy's eyes started to water with the effort not to gag, in spite of his hand holding half of Adam's dick back. And then Adam froze, head dropping back, fingers digging into the back of Tommy's head as salty liquid flooded Tommy's mouth. Tommy swallowed as much as he could, the rest leaking out the corners of his mouth.

After a moment, Adam's grip on Tommy's head loosened. Once Tommy had sucked every last drop from Adam's cock, he pulled off with a wet pop and leaned his forehead against Adam's hip as he fought to catch his breath.

One of Adam's hands came down and pushed through Tommy's hair, lifting his fringe before letting it drop again. "That was amazing."

A warm thrill shot through Tommy at the compliment, and he pressed a kiss against Adam's hip in response.

Adam ran his fingers back through Tommy's hair and tugged lightly to get his attention. "Are you hard?"

"Yes," Tommy mouthed against Adam's skin.

His dick was throbbing between his legs and had been for most of the blowjob.

"Good," Adam said. "We're ready for the evening meal then."

Tommy's head shot up and he stared at Adam in disbelief. "Like this?"

Adam nodded. "Just like that. Don't worry. It'll taper off by the time we get to the hall, I'm sure."

"But—" Tommy started, only for Adam to interrupt.

"I wasn't finished," Adam said. "Your arousal will taper off, but the frustration will stay, just as I want."

Still on his knees, Tommy swallowed, his spirits sinking.

"You said I did well," he mumbled, referring to the blowjob.

Adam tugged on Tommy's fringe until Tommy took the hint and rose to his feet.

Kissing him and licking the come away from the corners of Tommy's mouth, Adam said, "You did. I was extremely pleased. If that's how well you do with no experience, I'm sure I will pass out from the pleasure once you become skilled at it."

"Then…" Tommy trailed off, truly at a loss.

Adam sighed. "What do you think will happen if we walk into that hall and my uncle finds you've become a smiling, pliant slave?"

Tommy frowned. "I thought that was the point, that he sees I have accepted my lot in life. That you made me accept it."

Adam shook his head. "The point was to prove I'm unfit for the throne. Seeing you miserable, which he was absolutely sure would happen if you were forced to submit to me, was also the point."

Tommy glanced down, gaze landing somewhere in the vicinity of Adam's tunic-covered chest. "So you want me obedient in order to thwart his plan to keep the throne from you, but frustrated at the same time so I won't appear at peace with the way things are."

Adam nodded his head, reaching between them to palm Tommy through his silk clothing. "Something I've found over the last several days is that when you're frustrated, you're anything but pleasant, although you also do not defy me. It's the perfect balance."

Tommy moaned, unable to stop himself from thrusting into Adam's hand, in spite of the fact that he knew he wouldn't be getting any relief anytime soon.

Gasping as Adam squeezed him one last time before pulling his hand away, Tommy mumbled, "Perfect balance for you, maybe."

Adam chuckled and kissed Tommy, briefly but firmly. "Admit it. You love when I torture you this way."

Tommy scowled. It seemed to be Adam's favorite pastime since the first day they'd had sex. He liked to get Tommy all worked up and leave him that way, so that by the time he came back hours later, Tommy was ready to beg him to fuck him.

Knowing Adam liked the game, liked verbally sparring with him, Tommy refused to give in so easily, even if they both knew it to be the truth. "You're insane."

Amusement dancing in his eyes, Adam said, "Later, I'll have you writhing on my dick and I won't let you come until you admit it."

Tommy smirked at him. "You can give it your best try."

Adam's eyes flashed with heat and Tommy groaned as Adam fisted his hair and yanked his head back, exposing his collared throat.

Staring deep into Tommy's eyes, Adam said, " _You_ can count on it, love."

By the time Adam released his hair, Tommy was panting in anticipation.

As they left the room together, Tommy trailing behind as was the custom for a sex slave, he mumbled under his breath, loud enough for Adam to hear but not for the guard, "I won't cave so easily."

Adam's chuckle accompanied by a confident, "We'll see," had Tommy's hackles up instantly, which he knew was exactly the point.

The bastard.

Tommy knelt next to Adam's chair on the mat provided for him and sat back on his heels, preparing himself for a long, grueling meal. His erection had subsided as Adam had predicted, but he was so sexually frustrated he could have punched someone. Namely Adam.

His scowl must have been something because when Prince Neil walked up with Jeni, Neil did a double take and commented to Adam, "Judging by the look on his face, brother, I wouldn't give him any sharp objects anytime soon."

Adam grinned. "He's the perfect picture of a slave that hates his submission, isn't he?"

Neil sat down and tilted his head a little as he studied Tommy. For his part, Tommy refused to drop his gaze, instead challenging Neil to say something about it.

Neil smiled after a minute, as if Tommy had passed some test, and glanced over at Adam. "He's got fire. Just what you need to keep you on your toes."

Adam smiled affectionately at Tommy, which made Tommy feel all warm and funny inside, which in turn pissed him off all over again. As did the fact that he wasn't allowed to speak in public unless spoken to, a law Adam was taking full advantage of by talking _about_ him rather than to him. Adam laughed as Tommy glared daggers at him.

To Neil, Adam said, "Yes. I do believe he is exactly what I've been needing in my life."

Jeni glanced at Tommy with something akin to sympathy, which got Tommy's hackles up further, until she spoke and he realized it wasn't sympathy over his forced enslavement. "You'll have to excuse them. They're both idiots of the first order."

Tommy found himself smiling at her in spite of himself, but quickly schooled the look back into a scowl as the king entered the hall, his presence made known by a guard who shouted for the whole hall to hear.

Jeni's smile widened as if she knew exactly what was going on, which Tommy had to allow was a good possibility when she winked at him before turning away.

The king strode over, stopping by Adam's chair to give Tommy the once over. Tommy held his gaze only briefly before lowering his own as was expected.

After a moment, King Gregory said to Adam, "I did not expect him to look so … healthy."

Tommy tensed, knowing the king was questioning why there were no signs of a whipping visible through Tommy's see-through tunic.

As the king sat, Adam said, "There are plenty of ways to make a slave submit that do not permanently mar his skin. I didn't want to look upon a back mottled with scars when I fuck him, so I employed other tactics of persuasion."

Tommy clenched his jaw as if remembering those tactics. The king bought it.

Chuckling, King Gregory said, "You shall have to share those tactics with me sometime. I might find them useful with my own slaves."

The more the king talked, the more Tommy had to restrain himself from jumping up from his mat and beating him senseless. Possibly running him through with something long and pointy. It seemed that Adam's plan was working, though, and the king was pleased with him, so Tommy held on to that, knowing it meant the king would leave him to Adam as long as that was so.

"So," King Gregory said. "How did you get the collar on him? Did he fight it?"

Again Tommy tensed, both at being talked about like he wasn't there and at the absolute glee in the king's voice at the thought of him fighting Adam. Suddenly he was very sure the king had at some point asked Adam if he'd fought the first time Adam fucked him. Tommy wondered what Adam had said.

"He balked at first, but I brought him in line quickly enough. I made him bare his neck and beg for it, in fact."

King Gregory threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, how I wish I could have witnessed that," he said after he got himself under control.

Adam grinned. "It was a sight, to be sure."

Tommy knew the words coming out of Adam's mouth were lies calculated to win over the king and ensure both their safety and future, but he couldn't help the way his gut twisted anyway.

The king cocked his head to the side and asked, "How did I never know you had this side to you? I should have demanded you take a pleasure slave long ago."

Adam lifted his goblet and took a drink before answering, "I suppose you should have. It's been rather … enlightening."

The meal continued on that way, with the king and Adam alternately discussing him and affairs of the kingdom. Once it was apparent everyone had taken all they were going to, Adam picked up an empty plate he'd had a servant bring out and filled it with all Tommy's favorite foods.

Turning, he passed it down to Tommy. "Eat everything on your plate, slave."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, keeping his head bowed as he took the plate from Adam, his stomach growling with hunger.

"You should make him eat your scraps," the king said, tone disproving.

"I'd rather have him in good health for when I want to make use of him," Adam countered. "Besides, I made sure to give him only the dishes he doesn't like. He has yet to earn a meal of food he enjoys."

Tommy looked at King Gregory from under his fringe as the king smiled approvingly at Adam. That in mind, Tommy did his best to keep a look of revulsion on his face as he slowly ate every bite of his food.

Once the evening meal concluded, Adam rose and beckoned for Tommy to follow. Just as Tommy got to his feet, though, King Gregory spoke.

"Surely you are not leaving yet," the king said. "I would like a demonstration of your slave's obedience."

Tommy stopped breathing, every muscle in his body tense as he waited for Adam's response. So far the king hadn't made it an actual order, but he very well could if Adam said the wrong thing. Or maybe Adam wouldn't protest at all, would just go along to keep up appearances. Tommy had no idea what he'd do if Adam made that decision. Tommy wasn't ready to have sex in public. He doubted he'd ever be ready, in fact.

"He is still a work in progress," Adam said, sounding saddened at having to decline. "Allow me to continue working with him, Uncle, so that his performance is all that it should be."

King Gregory's gaze slid to Tommy's, and Tommy felt his skin crawl at the cruel smirk on the king's lips and the lust in his eyes. Quickly, Tommy dropped his gaze so he wouldn't have to see that expression on his face.

"I don't know, " the king said. "I might enjoy seeing him fight you."

"It's amusing, to be sure," Adam said. "But in front of the other knights it might discredit some of my authority. And then there is the matter of the sovereign. If word were to get back to her that a slave had been forced into sexual servitude…"

Adam left that sentence dangling and Tommy snuck a peek from behind his fringe at the king's face, hope leaping in his chest at the considering look the king was giving Adam. Finally, King Gregory nodded and Tommy let out a slow, silent sigh of relief.

"Very well. You raise good points. Take the time you need. I'm sure the wait will be worth it."

"Good night, Uncle," Adam said.

Adam turned and motioned for Tommy to follow. Tommy wasted no time hurrying after him, eager to get as far away from the king as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

When they reached Adam's chambers a few minutes later, Tommy stepped in behind him and closed the door. He took a deep breath and turned around to find Adam standing close by. Before Tommy could say anything, Adam pulled him in and kissed him deeply.

When their lips parted, Tommy looked up into Adam's face and whispered so that the guard outside the door couldn't hear, "I thought he was going to order you to fuck me right then and there."

Adam studied his face and asked after a moment, "Would you have fought me if he did?"

Tommy swallowed, wanting to be able to say no, knowing it was what Adam wanted to hear, but unable to say the word because it would be a lie. "I-I don't know," he finally settled on, because that was the truth. He didn't know. He suspected, though. "I might have."

Adam nodded. "I thought so." He squeezed Tommy's hips where his hands were splayed over them, and continued, "You do realize I only delayed the inevitable. Eventually I'll run out of excuses and my uncle will demand a demonstration. Could you manage to pleasure me with your mouth without fighting me? It should be sufficiently humiliating enough to appease him, I would think."

"I have a choice?" Tommy asked.

"I need to know what to expect from you."

Tommy bit his bottom lip and thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I think I could manage that. Yes."

"I will keep that in mind, then," Adam said. Changing the subject, Adam reached up and tugged at Tommy's fringe lightly. "You were very good tonight. I'm pleased."

Tommy found himself smiling in spite of himself. "Thank you."

Adam ran a finger over Tommy's lips, dragging the bottom one down slightly before sliding past it to his chin, then away completely. "Strip and get on the bed on your back."

Adam stepped back and Tommy flushed as he reached for his belt, wondering if he'd ever get used to submitting, or rather, the arousal he felt when submitting to Adam. He untied the belt and folded it, setting it aside on the table by the door. With Adam's heated gaze on him, Tommy pulled the tunic over his head and folded it, too. Next, he undid the tie holding up his undergarment and stepped out of it as it dropped to his feet. He bent and picked it up, setting it on top of the pile of clothes on the table. He glanced at the slave bracelets on his hands, then over at Adam.

"Do these stay on?" Tommy asked.

"Normally, no," Adam said. "But tonight I wish to fuck you in them."

Heat pooled in Tommy's gut and he headed for the bed. Climbing on, he turned and laid down on his back, anticipation thrumming through him as he waited for Adam.

Taking his time, Adam stripped, letting his clothes fall where they may. Once he was naked, he padded over to the wardrobe along one wall and opened it, reaching inside for something. Tommy watched, curious and bemused when Adam turned back to him with four undergarment ties.

Adam smiled as he walked over and stood next to the bed. "Arms up over your head, legs spread."

Tommy's eyes widened as he complied, catching on as Adam wound one of the ties around his wrist, above his bracelet.

"Adam…" Tommy started nervously, trailing off because really, what was there he could say about it? It was Adam's right to tie him down if he chose.

Adam paused and looked into Tommy's eyes. "Trust me."

Tommy bit his bottom lip, but nodded his head after a moment, nerves coiling in the pit of his stomach as Adam finished wrapping it around his wrist. As Adam tied the ends around the post of the bed, Tommy was relieved to see he was doing it near the top, where it would be a simple enough thing for Tommy to reach up and push it off the end of the post if he wanted.

Relaxing a little, Tommy waited while Adam moved around to the other side of the bed and gave his other wrist the same treatment, then both his ankles. Once Tommy was restrained, he pulled a little on each tie, testing the strength of his bindings. Just like that first day when Adam had bound his wrists and ankles together after the evening meal, Tommy found his bindings tight enough to prevent his escape, but not so tight it cut off his circulation.

Suddenly, Tommy was very sure he was not the first man Adam had tied up. From the heat in Adam's eyes as he stepped back to inspect his handiwork, Tommy could tell it was something he enjoyed. A lot. A thrill of anticipation raced up Tommy's spine as he realized he didn't mind it so much himself, maybe even liked it, which was probably a good thing since he suspected it wouldn't be the last time he found himself in this position.

"You look amazing," Adam said a little breathlessly as he climbed on the bed, settling down on his side next to Tommy.

Tommy shifted. "I feel … strange."

"You've never been bound during sex before," Adam said, a statement rather than a question.

Tommy answered anyway. "No. The thought of doing so never even entered my head."

Adam propped his head up on one hand and ran his fingers up and down the inside of Tommy's thigh from his knee to the crease where his leg met his hip, his knuckles brushing Tommy's balls lightly along the way.

"Do you like it so far?" Adam asked.

Tommy shifted and canted his hips, encouraging Adam's hand. He tugged at his bindings again, arousal shooting through him. "I do."

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," Adam said sincerely, rewarding Tommy by fisting his dick.

Tommy moaned, eyes sliding closed as Adam set up a rhythm, hand dragging up and down his shaft so slowly Tommy was sure he'd die from the torture of it. He thrust up and immediately Adam's hand went slack on him, not giving him the friction he needed.

Tommy whimpered. "Please."

"Lie still," Adam ordered.

Tommy opened his eyes and locked his gaze on Adam's face. "Please," he said again.

"Lie still," Adam repeated.

Tommy's hands fisted, which pulled his slave gloves tight over the backs of his hands. "I will."

Adam tightened his fist on him and started stroking him once more, _so_ slowly. Tommy panted, fighting to stay still when all he wanted to do was rut up into Adam's hand, force him to move faster. At the pace Adam was going, they could be there all night and Tommy wouldn't get to come.

For long minutes, Adam seemed content to torture him that way, and then Adam leaned over him and licked at one of his nipples. Tommy moaned and Adam did it again, then bit at it, causing Tommy to cry out. He barely remembered to stay still, but somehow he managed.

When Adam did it again, then moved to the next nipple and gave that one the same treatment, Tommy begged, "Please. I can't … can't stay still with you doing that."

Adam lifted his head and looked down at Tommy. "You can move if you like, but if you do, you don't get to come tonight."

Tommy closed his eyes and whimpered. Either choice was sure to kill him. Eventually he opened his eyes again, making sure to stay as still as possible when Adam went back to licking and biting at his nipples.

Against his sensitized flesh, Adam murmured, "Good choice."

He played that way for long minutes before he finally gave Tommy permission to move without consequences.

Immediately Tommy canted his hips up to meet Adam's hand on the way down, still much too slow to actually get Tommy off. Reflexively, he pulled at his bindings, half wishing he had his hands and legs free, half getting off on the fact that they weren't. Tommy writhed and moaned, so lost in the sensations washing through his body that he didn't hear the knock until Adam lifted his head.

Tommy tensed and pulled at his restraints, begging in a whisper, "Please cover me."

Adam looked down at him, his hand keeping the maddening pace on his cock. "It's just Taylor coming to tend to his evening duties. You need to get used to this, to people seeing you like this. I told you, tonight we only got a reprieve. It _will_ happen in public. Better for you to get used to it in small doses."

Tommy grit his teeth and reflexively tried to pull his legs together, but the bindings held him wide open.

"Would you rather your first experience in front of others be in the great hall with the entire court watching?" Adam asked pointedly, _still_ stroking his cock.

"No," Tommy said tightly.

"Will you agree to allow Taylor in, then?" Adam asked.

Adam twisted his wrist on the upstroke, thumbing his slit when he reached the top, before pushing back down. Pleasure surged through Tommy and he moaned, answering shakily, "Yes."

Obviously pleased with Tommy's answer, Adam called out, "You may enter."

Taylor walked in and cast a cursory glance their way. "Should I come back later?"

It was obvious that walking in on Adam pleasuring someone was such a common occurrence that it didn't even give Taylor pause.

"Of course not," Adam said conversationally. "My clothes are all over the floor at the foot of the bed and need tending."

Tommy screwed his eyes shut and clenched his fists, face burning with mortification, even as he got harder despite himself. And still Adam continued to stroke his cock at that same maddening pace. It was beginning to make Tommy want to punch him.

Very suddenly, Tommy realized that while it might be a turn on for Adam to tie him down, Adam had also had a calculating reason for doing it. He'd planned this. He never left his clothes in a pile on the floor.

Eyes flying open, Tommy glared up at Adam. "You bastard."

Taylor froze in the process of picking up Adam's shirt and sucked in a sharp breath.

Tommy was too angry to care that he was treading a fine line between mouthy and outright disrespectful.

"Watch it," Adam said mildly as he continued to fist him. "I might like your mouth when we're joking around, but you do not have permission to insult me in anger."

Barely tamping down the urge to continue hurling curses at Adam, Tommy said through his teeth, "Sorry. Please forgive my lapse."

Adam nodded, an edge to his voice as he said, "See that it doesn't happen again or I'll be forced to turn you over my knee."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, irritated by the way he heated at the thought. Not for the first time, he wondered about his sanity in all this.

Adam flicked his gaze up at Taylor and said, "Stoke the fire after you're done with my robes."

Tommy felt Taylor's eyes on him, but refused to look at him, still mortified he was seeing him this way, even though he'd agreed to it. He knew deep down Adam was right, he had to get used to it and it was better to do it this way. He even understood that part of the reason Adam had tied him down was to make it easier on him to let go and let it happen. He just wished he'd had time to adjust to the idea. Of course, time to adjust also meant time to talk himself out of it, so maybe Adam had been right to handle it this way. He tried to turn his face away and disappear behind his fringe of hair, tried to hide at least that much from Taylor, but Adam wouldn't allow it, ordering him to open his eyes and look up at him.

Tommy did it, all set to glare at Adam, but as soon as he complied with Adam's order and opened his eyes, Adam's hand sped up on Tommy's dick … his traitorous dick that hadn't softened one bit through the entire thing, had in fact started leaking in anticipation. Before he could stop it, Tommy moaned, then bit his bottom lip in embarrassment.

The grin on Adam's face was immediate. "That's is. Let go of what you were taught and just feel, Tommy." He leaned in and said in a low voice meant only for Tommy's ears, "Once you do that, you might even be able to admit you enjoy it, knowing there's someone watching you be pleasured. You dick has been twitching and throbbing in my hand ever since Taylor knocked."

Tommy gasped, unable to believe Adam's words were getting to him. But they were. They were and he was getting harder and more desperate as Adam's hand moved up and down his shaft because Adam was right. He started thrusting up into Adam's fist again and Adam rewarded him by speeding up once more.

At some point Tommy ceased to care that Taylor was still in the room, was witnessing what Tommy had long been taught was a private moment, except, that wasn't completely accurate. It wasn't so much that he didn't care, as he found what Adam had said to be true. It was a turn on once he let go of convention.

Adam smiled down at him, clearly pleased as Tommy canted his hips faster and faster, pushing his cock up into the tight tunnel of Adam's fist. Panting, Tommy started fighting his wrist restraints, wanting to touch Adam, to pull him down on top of him and kiss him as he came.

"Shh," Adam said, fingers of his free hand running through Tommy's sweaty hair, pushing it back from his face. "Just let go. Let it happen. Don't fight it."

Tommy shook his head. "Not … not fighting it. W-want you. Want your mouth…"

Tommy trailed off on a moan as he felt himself getting closer and closer to the edge.

And then suddenly there was a warm mouth sealed around his dick and Tommy gasped in shock. That hadn't been what he meant, he'd just been asking for a kiss, but he wasn't about to complain, not when Adam was sucking him down and swallowing around him. It was too much. Too much teasing, too much stimulation, too many emotions in such a short time.

Tommy arched off the bed, pushing his cock deep into Adam's throat, and came with a silent scream as his entire body locked up.

Afterwards, Tommy sank down to the bed, suddenly boneless, chest rising and falling rapidly as he fought for air. Blearily he watched Adam pull off his dick with a soft pop, and then Adam was up and over him, kissing him thoroughly. Tommy moaned into Adam's mouth, kissing him back, tasting himself on Adam's tongue.

Off to the side, Taylor cleared his throat and Tommy's face heated. Now that his body was sated, the embarrassment returned, although not as severe as before. Along with it, there was another emotion flowing through him, an almost giddiness. Laughter bubbled up in his throat. He felt a little like he used to feel when he'd rebel against his father, bucking convention and the rules that governed his station.

Adam smiled happily down at him, even as he spoke to Taylor. "Yes, Taylor?"

"Is there anything else you require?" Taylor asked.

Adam looked over at him and shook his head. "No. You may take your leave for the evening."

Taylor nodded and turned to go.

After the door shut behind him, Adam turned back to Tommy and reached up with one hand to untie the bindings around Tommy's wrists.

"I want to feel your mouth on me," he said between kisses and nips at Tommy's lips.

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said softly in response, kissing Adam back.

After Tommy's arms were free, he lowered them and rolled his shoulders against the bed to loosen up tensed muscles up. Instead of untying Tommy's legs next, Adam rose up over him, knee-walking up Tommy's body until his erection waved in Tommy's face. In spite of the fact that he'd just come and couldn't yet get hard again, Tommy found himself mildly aroused by the fact that his legs were still spread wide and tied down, and now his upper body was pinned to the mattress by Adam's body. Swallowing hard, he looked up into Adam's eyes and dutifully opened his mouth.

Adam groaned and reached down with one hand to cup Tommy's cheek. He pushed his thumb in Tommy's mouth, pressing down on his tongue and lower jaw. Tommy took the hint and stretched his mouth wider in response.

"Beautiful," Adam murmured, feeding his dick slowly into Tommy's mouth until Tommy was fighting not to gag, eyes watering.

Tommy lifted his hands reflexively, fingers digging into the backs of Adam's thighs, and Adam said, "Hands on the bed. No touching me or yourself."

Tommy moaned his frustration with the order, but dutifully dropped his hands to his sides, palms flat on the bed.

Adam stilled and pulled his thumb from Tommy's mouth as he reached up and brushed a runaway tear from the corner of one of Tommy's eyes. "One day I will teach you to take all of me."

Tommy groaned around Adam, slave-bracelet covered hands fisting the sheets on either side of his hips. He wanted that too.

Adam's fingers slipped down over Tommy's cheek and jaw, and down lower, over his neck, until he reached the top edge of Tommy's diamond collar.

"Still comfortable?" Adam asked.

Tommy tried to nod his head as best he could while flat on his back with Adam's dick in his mouth.

It must have been enough because Adam smiled. "I love the way it looks on you. I'm going to have another one made for you, one that's more practical for everyday. Maybe made of leather like the cuff you wear at night. What do you think?"

Again Tommy groaned, shifting restlessly on the bed. It was too early for him to get hard, but his body was making a valiant effort in the wake of Adam's words.

Adam's eye darkened and he thrust shallowly in and out of Tommy's mouth as he asked, "You want that? A constant reminder of who you belong to around your neck?"

Tommy responded by sucking harder at Adam's dick, tongue licking over Adam's slit every time Adam withdrew a little.

"Yes," Adam said on a breath of air, head falling back as he thrust a little deeper.

Tommy struggled to take what Adam was giving him without choking. He wanted the use of his hands, both to hold onto Adam and to wrap around the part of Adam's cock he couldn't fit inside his mouth, but Adam had been clear. No hands.

Fingers twisting in the sheets, Tommy's eyes slipped shut, a shudder of pleasure rolling through him as Adam slipped three fingers between the collar and Tommy's neck, right over his Adam's Apple, and pressed lightly on it. He wasn't actually restricting Tommy's breathing, but the promise was enough to make Tommy's heart speed up and the breaths he was taking through his nose quicken. Shockingly, it also made his dick pulse and fill a little, much sooner than he'd thought possible.

Adam groaned above him, hips snapping forward faster and faster as Tommy repeatedly swallowed, both for Adam's benefit and to heighten the feeling of Adam's fingers pressed between his neck and the collar. By the time Adam's thrusts into his mouth started losing rhythm, Tommy's were snapping up into thin air as much as the restraints around his ankles would allow, cock once again full and heavy against his abdomen, needing friction and finding none. It took all his self-control not to take himself in hand, but he managed somehow, eyes squeezed shut and moans vibrating in his throat and around Adam's cock as Adam fucked his mouth.

"Tom-Tommy," Adam gasped, reaching frantically for Tommy's hair. He threaded his fingers through Tommy's fringe and yanked back at the same time that he pulled up on Tommy's collar with the hand still hooked in it, forcing Tommy's neck to arch and his head to tip back, opening his throat more and giving Adam a deeper tunnel to thrust into.

Tommy cried out around Adam, hands scrambling at the sheets. His legs jerked, pulling at the ties keeping them spread wide as he bucked and groaned, part of him panicking that Adam was going to choke him this way, and part of him so aroused by it he couldn’t think.

"Shh," Adam said, voice rough and breathless. "You can take it. Relax your throat and you'll be fine. Just a little…"

Adam broke off then and Tommy tried to relax, sucking _not enough_ air through his nose as Adam thrust fast and shallow until with one final snap of his hips he slammed all the way to the back of Tommy's throat and stilled with a deep groan.

Tommy gagged and his whole body spasmed as arousal slammed through him fast and hard. He jerked upwards, upsetting Adam's balance above him, and Adam let go, tumbling slowly to the side, dick slipping from Tommy's mouth in the process.

Tommy coughed and gagged and swallowed, come leaking out the sides of his mouth and trickling down his neck as he stared at the canopy above him, trying to suck enough air back into his lungs to make them stop burning.

Adam petted his chest, staring down at his face in worry, making soft shushing sounds, clearly thinking Tommy was distressed and trying to soothe him.

Tommy tried to speak, but all that came out was a croak of sound. He swallowed and tried again, only one word making it past his abused throat, "Please."

Adam frowned. "Please what?"

Desperate to come again, Tommy reached for Adam's hand and yanked it off his chest, pushing it down until it reached his groin. He ground up against Adam's hand and Adam's eyes widened, looking down Tommy's body for the first time since coming.

Tommy groaned and repeated, "Please."

Adam's frown smoothed out and his lips curled up, clearly pleased with this turn of events. "You want to come again?"

Tommy nodded frantically as Adam's hand closed around his dick.

Adam wasted no time settling into a steady, firm stroke. Looking Tommy in the eye, Adam said, "You liked choking on my cock."

" _Yes_ ," Tommy hissed out, pulling at his ankle bindings, wanting very much to bend his knees and plant his feet against the mattress but unable, tied down as his legs still were. He settled for thrusting up into Adam's hand as much as he could manage. "Please let me come again."

"Hmm," Adam said, hand slowing down a little as if he was giving the matter great thought. "I think I might enjoy making you wait until morning."

Tommy whimpered brokenly. "Please, Adam. I-I can't… Won't make it."

Adam stared down at him intently, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "What will you give me if I allow it?"

Tommy reached up and clutched at his own hair in frustration as Adam's hand slowed down even more and his fist loosened, no longer giving Tommy even that. "Anything. I'll do anything."

"Anything?" Adam asked. "Including allowing me to fuck you in front of Sutan the next time he's around and I'm in the mood?"

Tommy's hips stuttered out of rhythm at the question, but only for a brief moment. "But… I mean, I thought…"

"You thought I'd stop with tonight, one time with my hand and mouth in front of Taylor?"

Tommy bit his bottom lip and nodded, his hips all but stopping.

Adam shook his head. "Keep thrusting." Tommy picked up the rhythm again and thrust, even though it was sheer torture with how Adam was now only loosely holding him, giving him barely any friction at all.

"As for your assumption, you would be wrong. I want you comfortable in front of others by the time the king calls on us to perform, so that there's no risk of you panicking and defying me. I will not be made to flay your back open in the great hall, understand?"

"Yes," Tommy said. "But I don't understand why you're trying to make a deal when you can just order me to spread my legs for you with whoever you want here to watch."

"Because I want you willing and eager. I want you to participate, Tommy. I want you to put on a show that will send Sutan in search of the nearest willing person to rut into in response to watching us."

Tommy shuddered and groaned, Adam's words skittering through him like a thousand pinpricks of heat and want. "Yes. I'll do it. Please, just let me… Let me come. _Please_."

Immediately Adam's hand tightened and he moved it in time with Tommy's hips. "Go ahead. Come for me."

Tommy cried out and arched, not so much thrusting anymore as vibrating while Adam's hand sped up and tightened. His orgasm hit him fast and hard and he screamed with the force of it, body shaking, legs jerking involuntarily, hands fisting in the sheets.

After a moment, his body unfroze and he sagged down into the bed, panting for air, seeing spots before his eyes.

"Wow," Adam said, sounding truly amazed.

Tommy chuckled.

Adam snickered, and then they were both laughing, their voices echoing off the stone walls of the bedchamber, muted only a little by the tapestries hanging from them.

After a time, Adam climbed off the bed and retrieved a cloth, wetting it in a bowl of water before walking over with it. Only after he'd wiped Tommy's face, stomach and groin down and tossed the cloth toward the hearth to dry, did he untie the bindings around Tommy's ankles.

Tommy groaned, pulling his legs together amid protesting muscles. Adam set the ties aside and started rubbing his hands over Tommy's thighs and calves, fingers digging in here and there as he massaged the ache away. Next he moved to Tommy's arms, massaging them as well. By the time Adam reached his shoulders, Tommy was a moaning mess of boneless limbs.

He stared up at Adam in the candlelight, breath catching in his throat at how very beautiful Adam was.

Licking his lips, Tommy said quietly, "You said to always tell you the truth."

"Yes?" Adam asked, hands stilling on Tommy's shoulders. His expression was wary, as if he was unsure if Tommy was going to tell him something he didn't want to hear.

Tommy's gaze dropped to Adam's mouth. "The truth at this very moment is that I would very much like you to kiss me."

Adam's face relaxed and his lips curled into a smile as he said, "I rather like your truth."

He lowered his head and then they were kissing. Adam took control as usual, Tommy following his lead, and it was so good. Tommy could have happily kissed Adam forever.

Several moments later they came up for air and Tommy realized he'd shifted onto his side at some point and Adam had sunk down to his knees next to the bed. They licked and nipped at each other's lips for a long moment before Adam pulled away with a sigh.

"I need to secure you for the night."

Tommy snorted and rolled his eyes, even though he held out his hand for it as Adam picked the cuff and lock up off the floor. "This would never protect you if I had a mind to attack you in your sleep. Surely the king realizes that."

"Oh, he does," Adam said, disgust dripping from his voice. "He just doesn't care. All he wants is to make sure you can't come after _him_ while he's sleeping."

Tommy had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from saying that would take a lot more than one simple locked cuff to accomplish. He'd already messed up and voiced the extent of his hatred for the king once in Adam's presence. While he trusted that it would never get back to the king if he did it again, Tommy didn't want to press his luck.

Adam finished cuffing him, then walked around the bed, out of sight unless Tommy turned over, which Tommy had no intention of doing, too comfortable to move a muscle. Tommy heard the clink of the key as Adam dropped it on his nightstand, and then felt the dip in the mattress as Adam climbed in behind him.

Snaking an arm around Tommy's waist, Adam pulled him back against him and kissed the side of his neck, murmuring, "Goodnight."

Tommy slipped his hand over Adam's arm, following it to where it was splayed over his stomach. Palm sliding over the back of Adam's hand, Tommy laced their fingers together and answered, "Goodnight."

Adam's response was to kiss his neck and pull him more firmly against him so that there wasn't even a hint of space between them.

Tommy looked out the window in Adam's chambers, staring at the woods beyond the castle walls, guilt and anxiety eating away at him. Guilt because it was obvious from the way Adam treated him that Adam was becoming attached to him in more than a sexual way, and anxiety because Monte still had not gotten him word.

The silence didn't sit well with Tommy. It had been over two months now. Monte should have found some way to get word to Tommy, even just to let him know things were taking longer than anticipated. The fact that Monte hadn't, told Tommy one of two things. Either Monte was finding it much harder than expected to get a spy inside the castle to bring a message to Tommy, or someone at Lootus had betrayed them and confessed their plan.

Given Adam's treatment of Tommy so far and the things he said to him in private, Tommy had to believe it was the former. For it to be the latter would mean that Adam and the king knew of Tommy's plan and were toying with him. He could believe the king would do so without a second thought, but his instincts told him Adam wouldn't.

The doors to Adam's chambers opened and closed. Assuming it was Adam since Adam had said he'd come by to share the midday meal with him, Tommy didn't turn around.

"Is there something you're looking for or do you just enjoy nature that much, Thomas?" asked a voice that was very much _not_ Adam's.

Tommy tensed, recognizing Prince Neil's voice from the time spent on his knees at dinner, testing food. Intensely aware of his nudity, Tommy's jaw clenched and he thought seriously about not turning around. To not do so, though, would be a sign of disrespect, and while Tommy didn't think Prince Neil stood on ceremony any more than Adam did, he didn't want to test the theory and end up getting lashed for his trouble.

Forcing himself to turn and meet Prince Neil's gaze in spite of how exposed it made him feel, Tommy said, "I enjoy nature, My Lord."

Prince Neil nodded, seeming unconcerned with Tommy's nudity as he strode over and stood next to him, looking out the window. "The leaves will be changing colors soon. The view from this side of the castle is breathtaking in autumn."

Tommy did his best to not shy away from the prince, not wanting him to see how vulnerable Tommy felt like this. Instead, he turned back to the window himself and glanced out. "I can imagine."

Prince Neil turned and looked at Tommy, waiting until Tommy looked back to say, "Adam sent me to tell you he's been delayed and won't be able to make it for the midday meal."

"Oh," Tommy said, trying not to let how disappointed he was by that show.

Unfortunately, Prince Neil was as observant as his brother and picked up on it anyway. "You were looking forward to his visit."

Tommy stepped away, needing some distance, and shrugged. "It gets boring being confined to chambers all day every day with no one to talk to, My Lord."

"I know Adam gave you leave to address him informally and so do I," Neil said. "In private, call me Neil."

Tommy released a breath, some of the tension draining from him. "In that case, call me Tommy."

Neil smiled. "Tommy it is." He paused briefly before asking, "Would you like my company instead?"

Tommy studied him, looking for some ulterior motive, but found none. Eventually he settled on a non-answer and said, "You do not need my permission."

Neil chuckled. "I see your training in navigating politics has not died along with your kingdom."

Tommy turned back toward the window, saying quietly, "I guess not."

A hand touched his shoulder and Tommy tensed. Immediately Neil dropped his hand and said, "That was rather tactless of me. I'm sorry."

Tommy's gaze shot to Neil's. "A prince need not apologize to a slave."

Neil frowned. "I already gave you leave to call me Neil. Do you really think I'm concerned with what's proper behavior given our stations? Just treat me as you would Adam."

Tommy relaxed a little at that, hearing the sincerity in Neil's voice. Testing the waters, he shot Neil a sideways glance and teased, "If I did _that_ , it would end badly for both of us. Your brother does not strike me as the type who likes to share."

Neil's eyes widened for a split second, then he threw his head back and laughed. When he calmed, he said, "Oh yes. I can definitely see why my brother is so drawn to you. Beautiful, intelligent and quick-witted." His eyes briefly skimmed Tommy's naked body before meeting Tommy's again, a friendly smile firmly in place that quelled any self-consciousness Tommy might have felt at the perusal. "If I did not have a wife I am very much devoted to, I might have pursued you myself."

Tommy blushed under Neil's scrutiny and found himself warming to him, which he was fairly sure had been Neil's intention.

"Now," Neil said, looking toward the table in the middle of the room where food had been set moments ago, "about that meal."

Tommy found himself smiling. "I would like it very much if you would join me."

Neil smiled in return and they crossed to the table. Tommy sat down in his usual chair, complete with a cushion on the seat, which Adam had provided him so that he wouldn't have to sit bare-assed on a hard wooden chair, and Neil sat across from him, in Adam's seat.

Looking at Neil from under his fringe, Tommy asked, "Will Adam be stopping by at all this afternoon, or do I have to wait for the evening meal to see him?"

"A representative from Avarus arrived today to negotiate a trade deal with us and Uncle Gregory required Adam to break bread with him and hammer out the terms. It's another test, I believe, since both King Grace of Avarus and this representative in particular are known to be difficult."

Tommy reached for the glass of wine Neil poured him and said, "I've had dealings with them. Is the representative's name Lord Gokey?"

Neil nodded. His head tilted to the side in a considering manner.

"What?" Tommy asked, setting down his wine.

"I've only known you as a slave," Neil said. "I forget it wasn't that long ago that you were helping your father run an entire kingdom. You outranked me."

Tommy cleared his throat, looking down at his plate. "That was a lifetime ago."

"I don't know that I could do what you've done to survive," Neil mused. "I think the king would have had my head the first day."

Tommy shook his head. "Considering that the king in question would have been me if the battle had ended differently, you would be wrong. I would have taken over Vox, yes, but Tousma does not abide slavery, and I don't believe in killing the royal family just to break the spirits of those I've conquered. I would have given you and your family their freedom."

"Easy to say given the position you're in," Neil said steadily, expression considering.

Tommy held his gaze and said firmly, "It's the truth. Check into my father's record in such matters. He did so more than once."

Neil lifted his goblet and took a drink of wine, then lowered it and asked, "And if Uncle Gregory had survived your siege on the castle?"

Tommy snorted. "Given his reputation for cruelty, I would have stripped him of his wealth, made him the lowest of peasants and had spies placed around him. The instant he broke even the tiniest law, he would have been tossed in the dungeon."

Neil chuckled. "I almost wish you had won, just so I could have seen that happen."

Tommy smiled in return. "You like him no more than your brother, I see."

Neil sobered and shook his head. "It is true, I dislike him to the point of hatred, but Adam…"

He trailed off and Tommy asked curiously, "Adam, what?"

Neil glanced at Tommy, then away, giving Tommy the impression there was something Adam and now Neil wasn't telling him about their uncle, but all Neil would say was, "Adam has more reason to hate him than most."

Sensing Neil wasn't going to say any more on the subject, Tommy dropped it, although his curiosity was piqued. He decided to find a way to pull it out of Adam.

After they finished eating, Neil drained the rest of his wine and stood. "I must get back and rescue my brother from our uncle. It's never a good idea to leave the two of them in each other's company without a buffer for long."

Rather surprised Neil trusted him enough to share the inner workings of his and Adam's relationship with their uncle, Tommy smiled at him. "Thank you for the company. It was appreciated."

Neil smiled in return. "I rather enjoyed it myself."

Neil turned to go and Tommy said, "Neil, wait."

"Yes?" Neil asked, turning to face Tommy.

Tommy hesitated, then said, "If Lord Gokey doesn't budge on whatever ridiculous terms he set this time, tell Adam to ask him how Queen Alexis is doing."

Neil frowned. "King Grace's wife? Why?"

"Because they've been meeting for afternoon trysts for the better part of three years now. I guarantee Adam will secure Gokey's compliance and Gokey will do everything in his power to get King Grace on board if Adam brings her up."

Neil chuckled. "I'll let him know."

Later that afternoon, Tommy was lounging in the bath Taylor had drawn for him, arms and legs floating as hot water soaked into muscles sore from straining against his bonds the night before. Meanwhile, Taylor puttered around the chamber, straightening things and putting away other things.

Suddenly, the door flew open and in walked Adam, looking like he was on a mission. Tommy sat up and his eyes widened as Adam started straight for him at a fast pace, stripping off his tunic along the way so that he was bare-chested by the time he reached the side of the tub.

"What—"

Adam cut Tommy off with a hand at the back of his head and lips pressed to his. The force of the kiss spiked Tommy's desire and he moaned wantonly, parting his lips for Adam's seeking tongue. The kiss went on and on until Tommy was clutching the sides of the tub, breathless and hard.

Tommy tried to break free to catch his breath, but Adam just pushed his tongue deeper into Tommy's mouth, forcing Tommy to try to get enough air through his nose. At the same time, Adam's free hand plunged into the water and wrapped around Tommy's dick, setting a fast pace meant to get Tommy off in no time.

Tommy groaned and canted his hips up, sending the water licking dangerously toward the top edge of the tub. Immediately Adam squeezed Tommy's cock and Tommy gasped into Adam's mouth, fingers digging into the tub to keep himself from grabbing at Adam's hand and trying to push him off. He was Adam's to do with as he chose, Tommy reminded himself. Curiously, that thought only got him harder.

Against Tommy's lips, Adam said, "Don't move or the water will slosh over the side."

""What—" Tommy tried to ask again, but Adam cut him off with a sharp bite to his bottom lip.

Tommy clamped his mouth shut and Adam leaned back a little, smiling at him. "Good boy. Lie still. You have permission to come whenever you're ready."

Tommy licked his lips, turned on by Adam's forcefulness and by the fact that Taylor was witnessing the whole thing. Adam was right, it was arousing knowing someone else was watching him be pleasured.

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, voice rough with desire.

And then Adam was kissing him again and pumping his dick and it took every ounce of willpower Tommy possessed not to move. Minutes of torturous pleasure passed and Tommy felt his balls start to draw up. He moaned, warning Adam between kisses that he was close. Adam responded by speeding up his fist, his own motions causing the water to lap at the top edge of the tub. Tommy could have cared less at that point. He'd willingly clean the mess up himself if he could just come. Every muscle in his body was tight as a bowstring and he wasn't so much kissing Adam anymore as gasping for air against Adam's mouth, moans spilling from his lips almost continuously.

"Please," Tommy asked brokenly as he started to shake from the strain of remaining still.

"Come for me," Adam coaxed.

Tommy cried out as his orgasm washed through him, head dropping back onto Adam's arm, thankful for its presence.

Adam fisted him right through it until Tommy was whimpering and trying to shift his hips away from the over-stimulation.

"Shh," Adam said, nipping at Tommy's lips. "So good for me."

Tommy whimpered again and Adam finally let go of his cock, although he kept hold of the back of Tommy's neck as his now freed hand reached up to finger his bare throat. "You're not wearing the new collar I had made for you."

Earlier in the day, Taylor had brought in a diamond encrusted leather collar for Tommy.

"I thought to wait until you could put it on me," Tommy answered truthfully. It just hadn't felt right putting it on himself. He was trying hard not to think too much about why that might be, or why he wanted it on him at all.

Adam smiled. "I like that idea very much. I'll put it on tonight, when you're dry."

Tommy arched his eyebrows. "Not that I'm complaining, but why exactly did you bring me off in the middle of the afternoon?"

Adam laughed. "That was a reward for the advice you gave Neil to pass on to me."

Tommy grinned. "It worked."

Adam nodded. "It did, and my uncle was actually struck speechless by the deal I made. I don't think that's ever happened before."

Tommy's grin widened. "I'm glad I could help."

Adam leaned in and kissed Tommy again, and when they broke apart, Tommy glanced at Adam's linen pants and the bulge visible beneath. Licking his lips, he asked, "Want me to take care of that for you?"

Adam groaned in frustration. "I wish that you could, but I must go. I shouldn't even be here now. A hunting party is coming in from the east and so is a scouting party from the north, and Lord Gokey is still lurking about. It wouldn't do for him to find anything he could use to turn things back in his favor."

Tommy chuckled. "The life of a crown prince."

Adam snorted. "Any more of that smug tone and I'll turn you over my knee tonight for the hell of it."

Tommy's gaze cut to Taylor, who he suddenly remembered was still there. Taylor was pointedly not looking at them while he straightened a corner that he'd already straightened earlier, an amused smirk curling his lips.

Turning a glare back on Adam, Tommy said, "You wouldn't."

"Ahh," Adam said, leaning in to press a quick kiss to Tommy's forehead. "You have so much to learn yet about the pleasure to be found in a little humiliation and a bit of pain. I think I'll turn you over my knee tonight anyway, just to show you how good it can be."

" _Adam_ ," Tommy said, blushing furiously.

Adam full out laughed then, pressing one last kiss to Tommy's lips before he stood. With a wink and a smile full of promise, he said, "Have fun thinking on that for the rest of the afternoon while I deal with the _life of a crown prince_ as you said."

Tommy's jaw dropped as Adam turned on his heel and strode out of the room, scooping up his tunic as he went. After he left, Tommy snapped his jaw shut and looked over at Taylor when Taylor cleared his throat.

Staring at the water, Taylor said, "Well then. I guess I'll draw you a new bath."

Tommy looked down where Taylor was looking and saw the remnants of his spend that had yet to mix with the water. His head dropped back to the tub edge and he groaned in renewed embarrassment.

_Damn Adam_ , Tommy thought to himself hours later as he paced the bed chamber naked. He was still thinking about the threatened spanking, wondering if Adam was serious or not. The problem Tommy kept running into was that he hadn't done anything to earn one. In fact, he'd been going out of his way to make sure he was the perfect sex slave so that Adam wouldn't have to punish him.

But … Adam had made it sound like it wasn't a punishment at all, only that made no sense to Tommy. He'd never heard of a person _wanting_ to be spanked before. Why would they?

He couldn't deny, though, that the thought intrigued him. He didn't understand how there could be a pleasurable aspect to it, but Adam seemed so sure, and if Tommy was honest, he'd have to admit that Adam had been right about everything he'd done to and with Tommy up until now. There was no reason for Tommy not to trust that Adam knew what he was talking about with this, too.

When Taylor walked in to deliver Tommy's evening meal, Tommy couldn't stand it anymore and found himself blurting, "Have you ever been spanked for pleasure?"

Taylor paused with a plate full of food inches from the table's surface, and looked over at Tommy in surprise. "Um, no?"

Tommy frowned. "You don't sound sure."

Taylor set down the plate and shook his head. "No, I'm sure. I'm just not sure why you're asking me that."

Tommy felt his face heat, but he said anyway, "You heard Adam this afternoon. Was he serious? Does he really mean to spank me for no apparent reason?"

Taylor, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there having that conversation, shook his head again. "I have no way of knowing what Adam does or doesn't mean."

Tommy sighed in frustration. "But have you ever heard of such a thing? Or seen it? Does Adam regularly spank his bed partners?"

Taylor bit his bottom lip and seemed to think about it. Finally, he nodded. "It isn't a regular thing, but yes, I've seen him do it. Once in here with a gypsy named Brad that he took up with for a time until Brad got restless and moved on, and once in the great hall with one of the servants, Drake."

Tommy's stomach did a flip, but whether it was in anticipation or dread now that he knew Adam most likely was serious, he couldn't be sure. "Did they … enjoy it?"

Taylor shrugged, pouring Tommy a glass of wine to go with his dinner. "They seemed to."

Tommy groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. "That was not the answer I was looking for."

Taylor blinked, appearing mystified. "You would rather it not be pleasurable for you?"

"I would rather it not happen at all," Tommy said matter-of-factly, even though he wasn't nearly as sure as he sounded. He was thoroughly confused, to be honest.

Taylor offered him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure he will take that into consideration."

"Your loyalty is blinding," Tommy said flatly.

Taylor deliberately misunderstood him and smiled widely. "Thank you. That is a compliment, indeed."

Tommy just snorted as Taylor turned to go.

Finally, just as the sun was setting, Adam walked in and Tommy froze, no closer to figuring out what he thought about the whole thing.

Adam crossed to where Tommy stood near the middle of the room and ran the back of his hand down the side of Tommy's face. "Something wrong?"

Tommy swallowed, deciding the best course of action was to distract Adam until he was too tired to follow through with his insane idea.

That in mind, Tommy handed Adam the diamond encrusted leather collar. He tipped his head back and waited. He didn't have to wait long. Adam took the collar from him and fastened it around his neck, securing it with a small lock. Holding the key up for Tommy to see, Adam said, "No one may remove it but me."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, a shiver of need running through him at the knowledge. Ever mindful of his plan to distract Adam, Tommy dropped to his knees then and asked, "May I suck you?"

Adam blinked down at him. "If that is what you want, yes."

Tommy exhaled in relief, already planning out how he could draw it out, make it last so that when Adam finally came he was too sated to do much more than fall into bed.

Just as Tommy's fingers worked open the leather belt around Adam's waist that gathered his tunic, Adam said above him, "If you're simply offering to distract me from spanking you, though, don't bother. I've been imagining you turned over my lap, ass cherry red from the palm of my hand for hours now. I won't be distracted so easily."

Tommy groaned, leaning forward until his forehead rested against Adam's hip. "Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

"Look up at me," Adam ordered.

Reluctantly Tommy did so.

Adam studied him for a moment, then nodded toward the bed. "Come, sit with me."

Tommy climbed to his feet and followed Adam over, sitting down next to him and trying not to shift nervously. When Adam placed a hand on Tommy's bare knee, Tommy jumped.

"Calm down. We're just going to talk for a moment."

Tommy nodded and swallowed hard.

"Look at me, Thomas," Adam said softly, Tommy's formal name emphasizing the order.

Tommy met Adam's gaze and for a moment Adam simply sat there and stared at him, to the point that Tommy had to fight not to fidget under the weight of it.

Eventually, Adam asked, "Is there some reason in particular you are so reluctant? Something from your past?"

Tommy frowned, not understanding what Adam was getting at. "What?"

Adam seemed hesitant, but asked anyway, "Do you have any particularly bad memories of being spanked? Besides the occasional childhood chastisement, of course."

Tommy's frown deepened for a moment before he got it. He'd been lucky. He'd had parents who believed in physical punishment only as a last resort, and even then they had used it sparingly. But others he knew growing up—one friend in particular, David—had gotten more than his fair share of beatings. Tommy had lost count of the times he'd seen bruises littering David's body when they'd gone for a dip in the river behind the castle as children, and even more times when they were teens when David would wince as he moved a certain way or limp when he walked. Tommy had wished more than once that he'd been older so he could use his position as prince to take David's parents to task for it, even knowing there were no laws against it. He would have found something else to punish them for. By the time he was old enough, though, David's parents had died, his father in battle, his mother of consumption.

"Oh," Tommy said, shaking his head. "No. Nothing like that. I just…" He trailed off and bit his bottom lip.

"Just what?" Adam asked.

Tommy blew out a breath and said, "Maybe if I'd been raised as a slave, or even a servant it would be easier to accept. I don't know. Maybe not. I just… The thought of submitting to _that_ …" Tommy paused and shook his head. "I don't know if I can, to be honest. I can't promise not to fight you."

Adam looked thoughtful at that. "What if you agree to give it a try and I agree to permit you a signal, something that you can say or do that will put an immediate stop to it?"

Tommy's eyebrows shot up. "You would allow me that?"

"If it would keep the urge for you to fight me at bay, yes. I have no wish to turn this into something that angers or distresses you. I truly believe you will enjoy it if you let yourself or I wouldn't have suggested it."

Tommy thought about it and asked, "What kind of signal?"

"Well," Adam said, thinking on it. "Not the word no, or please stop, because in my experience, the men I've spanked seem to like to say those words, even though they don't actually want me to stop." Adam chuckled. "The first few times I did stop, only to be shouted at to begin again."

Tommy snorted, bemused by the whole thing. He was fairly sure he wouldn't be asking Adam to continue if he were to stop. "Something that could mean no, then, but not be the actual word. Maybe the word red? As in, a red flag of war, to let you know I'm losing the battle to not fight it?"

Adam nodded. "That sounds perfect. Red it is."

Tommy hesitated. "Do you want to do this now?"

Adam shook his head, pointing at the floor. "I'd like you to remove my boots, first."

Tommy slid to the floor and positioned himself in front of Adam's feet, then went to work on his laces. He hadn't done this for Adam before, but he found he wasn't opposed to the idea, either. He rather liked it, if he was honest.

Once he had them off and had moved the boots to the end of the bed, he looked up at Adam through his fringe and asked, "May I remove your clothing, too?"

Adam stood. "You may."

Tommy busied himself undressing Adam, cock filling and stomach fluttering in anticipation with every inch of Adam's skin he bared, until Adam was all skin and freckles, standing before him hard and proud. Tommy folded his clothing carefully and set it on the trunk at the end of the bed for Taylor to take care of later, then walked over to stand before Adam again.

Adam leaned down and kissed him, pulling Tommy's body against his. Tommy moaned at the feeling of Adam's erection pressed into his stomach. Adam's hands moved lower, until he was cupping Tommy's backside, and Tommy moaned again as Adam's fingers began kneading the flesh.

Anticipation and nerves made Tommy's breath quicken and he mumbled, "Adam," between kisses, not sure if he wanted more or for Adam to change his mind.

Adam hummed as he pulled out of the kiss and nipped at Tommy's bottom lip, before swatting lightly at Tommy's butt and backing off.

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath at the unexpected jolt of arousal that slammed through him. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all, he thought to himself.

Adam sat down on the bed, smirking as if he knew exactly what Tommy was thinking. Adam slid back until there was plenty of room for Tommy to lie over his thighs with his body resting on the bed on either side of him, and then he patted his lap.

"Lay down across me, ass up."

Tommy took a deep breath. His cheeks burned and his heart raced as he climbed on the bed, getting himself into position. He felt exposed in a way he hadn't before, but at the same time a thrill of the forbidden, of bucking tradition, zinged through him and he found himself waiting almost impatiently for the first slap. Instead, he got more caressing, more kneading. Deciding that was good, too, Tommy dropped his head to the mattress and moaned, lifting his ass for more.

"You like this?"

"The position's embarrassing, but yes," Tommy answered.

Adam laughed softly. "The embarrassment's half the fun, or so I'm told."

Tommy snorted. "I don't see how that can be," but they both knew it was a lie because Tommy's traitorous cock had filled and lengthened against Adam's thigh already.

Adam kneaded and caressed for another few moments, and then, without warning, Adam struck. The sound of Adam's hand connecting with flesh cracked through the air and Tommy cried out in shock, his whole body jerking with the sharp sting that exploded on one side of his ass.

"S-sorry," Tommy said, hands twisting in the sheets in an attempt to keep himself from bolting off Adam's lap.

"Sorry for what?" Adam asked, caressing the spot he'd just struck.

"For screaming," Tommy replied.

"No need," Adam said. "You're allowed to scream and shout as much as you like. You can even tell me no or ask me to stop, like we discussed. The only thing I will stop for, though, is the word red, understand?"

Tommy nodded. "I understand."

"Good," Adam said. "Ready for another?"

"No?" Tommy said with a puff of laughter.

Adam smacked his other ass cheek anyway and Tommy shouted again, body jerking with the shock of it, even though he'd had warning that time.

Adam caressed the sting away, asking, "What do you think so far?"

Tommy licked his lips. He was still baffled by the whole thing, but he couldn't deny how hard it was getting him, or the urge he had to lift his ass for more.

"I think," Tommy said, turning his head to shoot Adam a sly grin, "that I need more than two smacks. I believe in being thorough before coming to a decision of any sort."

Adam laughed, a delighted grin curving his lips. "You are something else. Yes. We shall be thorough, then."

Tommy turned his face back to the mattress below him just in time for the next smack. That time, his body didn't so much jerk in shock as in arousal. He moaned when Adam rubbed away the sting, only to smack him in the same spot a moment later. Tommy gasped and Adam smacked his other cheek before caressing both stings away.

Adam continued that pattern for several minutes, until Tommy was panting and pushing his ass up, all but begging for more. The slow, leisurely way Adam was going about the spanking was driving Tommy to clutch at his hair and consider begging for more, all his doubts about whether he would like being spanked long since gone. He more than liked it. He loved it. He'd just love it more if Adam would pick up the pace.

"Please," he finally begged when Adam smacked him again, then went back to the maddening caresses.

"Please what?" Adam asked, amusement and arousal clear in his voice.

Tommy growled in frustration that Adam was going to make him say it. "Please, more. Want more."

Adam groaned and pressed his hard cock up into Tommy's hip, grinding lightly before he started delivering smack after smack, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh filling the air. The sting of it radiated out from Tommy's backside until it felt like his skin was on fire and tingling at the same time.

Tommy cried out and twisted on Adam's lap, suddenly not sure if he wanted more or to get away. But then Adam's hand pressed down on the small of his back, grounding him, and it eased the edge off the anxiety over _toomuch_ that had been creeping up inside him.

At some point Tommy started begging for it to stop even though he really didn't want it to. Thankfully Adam kept true to his word and didn't stop, just soothed him with one hand rubbing over his back while the other hand kept delivering blow after steady blow, some to his ass, some to his upper thighs, until Tommy was screaming himself hoarse and breathing so hard he was sure he was about to pass out.

Only then did Adam stop, ordering Tommy to his hands and knees on the bed. Tommy scrambled to obey, getting into position as Adam climbed off the bed and reached for the bottle of oil on the bedside table. Slicked fingers probed Tommy hole, slipping inside for a brief moment before pulling out to deliver another smack.

Adam alternately finger-fucked and spanked his backside until Tommy dropped to his elbows, forehead pressed to the mattress, ass high in the air, and pleaded with Adam to fuck him. Adam groaned and climbed on the bed, telling him to keep begging even as he entered him. Tommy obliged, begging over and over for Adam to fuck him, to keep fucking him, to never stop, to please let him come, until Adam finally gave him permission. Tommy broke off in a choked stutter as his orgasm tore through him, come spurting from his cock all over the bed and his stomach and chest as Adam pounded away inside him.

Tommy tried to stay up, tried to push back, but his limbs turned to jelly and the rush from his climax left him in a whoosh. Tommy collapsed on the bed, legs spread wide, and Adam followed him down, not even breaking rhythm as he fucked him into the bed. Tommy grunted and moaned brokenly, fingers clawing at the sheets, legs twitching. It was too much sensation so soon after he came, too much sting as Adam's hips and legs slapped against his tender ass and thighs every time Adam thrust in, but it was perfect at the same time and Tommy never wanted it to stop.

Eventually it did, though, Adam's hips finally falling out of rhythm as he neared the end, until with one final thrust, Adam froze and groaned, releasing himself deep inside Tommy's body. Tommy gasped at the sensation, wondering if he'd ever get used to the feeling of Adam coming inside him. He hoped not. He loved the surprise of it too much to ever want to get used to it.

After a prolonged moment, Adam collapsed on top of him, face buried in Tommy's neck, hot breath puffing over Tommy's throat and around his leather collar. Adam's fingers slid up Tommy's arms until he found Tommy's hands. Palms resting over the backs of Tommy's hands, Adam laced their fingers together and squeezed. Tommy curled his fingers around Adam's and squeezed back, wanting to say something, anything, but finding there were no adequate words to describe how he felt just then.

Their interlocked fingers were the last thing he was aware of as he sank into oblivion, completely spent, both mind and body.


	9. Chapter 9

When Tommy came around, it was the middle of the night. He opened his eyes to find Adam had cleaned him up, turned him on his side and cuffed his wrist. Tommy couldn't quite believe he'd slept through all that. He shifted experimentally, but Adam was pressed up behind him with an arm slung over him and a hand splayed over his chest. All of which meant Tommy couldn't move much at all without Adam letting him.

Tommy sighed, flexing his backside. He felt sore but it was a pleasant sort of sore. Considering how hard Adam had been smacking him by the end, Tommy was pretty sure there would be bruises. His heart stuttered in his chest. For days until the bruises faded, everyone who walked into Adam's chambers was going to know what Adam had done to him.

"What's wrong?" Adam whispered against Tommy's neck, causing Tommy to suck in a sharp breath in surprise.

"I thought you were sleeping," Tommy whispered back.

"I was until you started wiggling around in my arms and flexing your ass against me," Adam said, amusement lacing his voice.

Tommy snorted. "It's not my fault you like to sleep wrapped around me."

Adam chuckled and kissed the side of Tommy's neck, sending a pleasant shiver up Tommy's spine. "You're avoiding the question."

"Why do you think something's wrong?" Tommy hedged

Adam pressed his palm more firmly against Tommy's chest and said, "Your heartbeat."

Tommy exhaled and said, "My ass is probably bruised."

Adam pressed his hips and the beginning of an erection against the ass in question. "It was already starting by the time I got you cleaned up and cuffed."

Tommy rolled his eyes at the pride in Adam's voice, even as he bit his lip anxiously. In a whisper so quiet he wasn't even sure Adam would hear it, Tommy said, "Everyone will know."

Adam sighed and used his open palm to urge Tommy over on his back. Tommy went reluctantly when Adam scooted back enough to make room.

Adam studied Tommy's face in the glow from the fireplace for a moment, then said, "I forget sometimes how repressed your kingdom was sexually."

Tommy frowned. "We were not—"

"You were," Adam insisted.

Tommy clamped his mouth shut, knowing there was no point arguing. Besides, by Vox's standards, Adam was right. Tommy just didn't necessarily agree with Vox's standards.

When Tommy nodded his acceptance of the statement, Adam went on, "Spanking is not unusual here. It's not something everyone does, but enough people do that no one thinks it strange."

Tommy's eyes narrowed a little, irritated that Adam seemed to be so oblivious to his plight. "Most, I'm sure, don't have to walk around bare-assed, showing off the evidence for days afterwards, either."

Adam stared at him for a long moment. "This is really bothering you, isn't it?"

Tommy shrugged, looking away although he remained on his back where Adam had put him. "It's my problem. I'll get over it."

"Hey," Adam said, hand leaving Tommy's chest to reach for his chin, turning Tommy's head back so that he was looking at Adam again. When Tommy did, Adam reached up and brushed the backs of his fingers lightly over the piercing that marked Tommy as his sex slave. "You're mine, and so are your problems."

Tommy pulled restlessly against the chain he was cuffed to, making it rattle. "There's nothing that's mine anymore, is there? Not even my feelings."

Adam was quiet a moment, then said softly, "I'm sorry for that."

Tommy huffed in frustration. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You're the only thing making all this bearable. It's the circumstances that I'm angry with."

"Still," Adam said. "I wish…"

When he trailed off, Tommy prompted, "You wish what?"

Adam cupped Tommy's cheek and rubbed his thumb over the corner of Tommy's mouth. "I wish we could have met under different circumstances."

Tommy pushed his face into Adam's hand and said, "As do I."

Adam cocked his head to the side and asked, "Do you think we would have ended up here, in bed together, if we'd met some other way?"

Tommy grinned up at him softly. "I was attracted to you from the start. I would have acted on it at the first given opportunity."

Adam grinned in return. After a moment, his expression sobered. "My uncle wants you on display in the hall tomorrow. Queen Brooke is coming for a visit and he wants to show you off … and get under her skin, I'm sure, since she abolished slavery in her kingdom."

Tommy's breath caught in his throat. Brooke was the Queen of Solvo, the kingdom Tommy, his father and their army had been returning from the day Vox had attacked Reus. They'd gone to Solvo at Brooke's request, to discuss a possible alliance as they were the only two kingdoms in the Realm of Ubertas to have abolished slavery following the decree of Ubertas' new sovereign legalizing such action. Because they had chosen to eliminate slavery, they were considered weak by the surrounding kingdoms in spite of their impressive battle records.

Tommy often wondered if things would have been different had they been further along in the negotiations, say, to the point where they'd already signed a treaty. Maybe King Gregory would have thought twice about ambushing Tousma, then, seeing as Queen Brooke would have been honor bound to come after Vox on Tousma's behalf.

Tommy flashed on Cam's reaction to seeing him being treated as a slave and knew Brooke's reaction would be just as bad, maybe worse since Brooke wasn't one of the king's subjects and would not hesitate to speak her mind. He and Brooke had a friendship that went back several years. They'd even flirted with romance a bit at first, but the distance between their kingdoms and the fact that they were both in line to rule had made it too difficult of a pursuit.

"Please don't," Tommy found himself blurting after a moment.

Adam shook his head. "I don't have a choice, not without outright defying him. You'll have clothes on, though. No one will see your bruises."

Tommy swallowed and said in a small voice, "I know her. We're friends. I just… I can't. Can't you understand that?"

Adam leaned down and kissed Tommy's forehead, saying against it, "I do, and if there were any other way, I'd take it. We can't risk angering Uncle Gregory, though. It wouldn't go well for either of us."

"If I could kill him, I would," Tommy blurted, eyes going wide the moment he said it.

Adam put a finger over Tommy's lips when Tommy tried to speak again, tried to find a way to take back what he'd said. Staring intently at Tommy, Adam said, "Never let anyone but me hear you say something like that."

Since his finger was still over Tommy's lips, Tommy just nodded.

Adam hesitated, then admitted, "If it wouldn't mean your death, I'd let you."

Tommy's heart pounded in his ears, and for one brief, insane moment, he considered telling Adam the plan. Then reality crashed in and the reality was, even though Adam hated his uncle, that didn't mean he would actually help Tommy kill him when it came down to it, no matter what he said, or free Tommy's people and give him back his kingdom. So Tommy kept quiet and the guilt weighing him down got just a little bit heavier.

"Talk to me," Adam said, searching Tommy's eyes, obviously able to tell there was something wrong.

Tommy swallowed and settled on part of the truth. "I miss my family. My home. I'm sorry. It sneaks up on me sometimes."

"Oh love, I wish there was a way to give everything back to you," Adam said, pulling Tommy up off the bed and against him.

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut and hugged Adam back. He was so tempted to tell Adam everything. If only he could trust that Adam would actually do what he was saying. As it was, though, Tommy couldn't risk it, couldn't gamble with his kingdom's future if he was wrong, so he kept silent.

After a moment, Adam pulled back slightly and kissed Tommy softly on the lips. "We should get back to sleep."

"Don't know if I can," Tommy mumbled, tucking his head under Adam's chin, ear pressed to Adam's chest.

Adam rubbed an arm up and down Tommy's back under the blankets and said, "Just try. For me."

Tommy yawned, listening to Adam's steady heartbeat under his ear. "For you."

Adam sat on his chair next to his uncle's throne and clenched his jaw as Tommy fidgeted. He glanced down at Tommy where he knelt next to the chair on a pad, sitting back on his heels. Adam knew he had to be uncomfortable, what with how bruised his backside was, but if he kept fidgeting, Adam's uncle was going to say something, and then Adam would have to take action, something he very much didn't want to do.

Reaching over, Adam settled a hand at the back of Tommy's neck, the gesture both possessive and a warning to stop twitching. Tommy stiffened briefly under his hand and Adam could practically feel the irritation washing off him in waves, but then Tommy took a deep breath, exhaled and relaxed.

Relieved, Adam rubbed his thumb along the bottom edge of the diamond collar he'd put back on Tommy for the occasion. He'd also put Tommy's slave bracelets back on him, and while Tommy wasn't wearing the same clothing as the other day, he was wearing something just as filmy and see-through, with the exception of his opaque underpants. He looked gorgeous. He looked like the perfect sex slave, especially now that he was sitting still.

It made Adam want to run his uncle through with a sword. Both because Tommy should never have been enslaved, and because it was turning who Adam had thought he was on its ear. He'd never owned personal slaves—sex or otherwise—for a reason. Only now, he found he _enjoyed_ owning Tommy. And Tommy—although understandably unhappy about his slavery in general—seemed to enjoy being owned by Adam. At least, when it came to sex.

Adam stared at the back of Tommy's head as he contemplated that. He knew he was forceful in the bedroom. He always had been, and he tended toward partners that would bend to his will, but Tommy… Tommy bent further and with more enthusiasm than any other partner Adam had ever had. It confused Adam because it didn't fit with the rest of who he knew Tommy to be. He'd seen enough of Tommy to know he was strong-willed and full of conviction. At the same time, he was smart as a whip and cunning. He understood how to play the game with Adam's uncle, and the times he didn't play along, didn't give Adam's uncle what he wanted, it was because Tommy had consciously chosen not to for one reason or another.

Adam's musings were interrupted by the arrival of Queen Brooke and her protection detail. Tommy stiffened under Adam's hand again. This time, Adam didn't try to soothe away the anger and irritation, knowing it was what his uncle had wanted to see.

"Queen Brooke of Solvo, Your Highness," Terrance, one of the highest ranking knights in service of Vox stated before bowing and backing away.

Queen Brooke was an imposing woman with a tumble of curls cascading over her shoulders and down her back from under her crown. She glanced at Gregory, Neil, then Adam in turn, before her gaze lit on Tommy. A look flashed through her eyes then, a mixture of sadness and anger, before her expression closed off and she brought her gaze back to Gregory, who was in the process of greeting her.

Dutifully, Queen Brooke nodded her head to him, although she pointedly did not bow, as was custom when a king or queen visited another's kingdom. Adam wondered if his uncle would make an issue of it, or overlook it in the interest of winning her favor so that she'd sign the trade agreement they needed in place to transport goods over her land from Avarus, which was on the other side.

Standing, Gregory clasped his hands together. "You're just in time for the evening meal. I would be honored if you would join me and my nephews."

 _Overlook the slight, it is, then,_ Adam thought to himself.

Queen Brooke smiled, although it didn't reach her eyes. "Of course. It would be my pleasure. Isaac," Queen Brooke said, turning to the side as she unclipped her cape from around her neck. When a short, thin servant stepped forward, she held the cape out to him. "Do find out what rooms will be mine during my stay and put this away there."

Tommy went rigid under Adam's hand and Adam wondered at it.

"Yes, My Lady," Isaac said. With a short nod, he was off, cape in hand.

Adam remained seated as his uncle stepped off the platform the throne and his and Neil's chairs were on, to lead Queen Brooke over to their table.

Once they were out of earshot, Adam's hand tightened on Tommy's neck and he said in a low voice, "Look at me."

Tommy turned his head slowly, obviously reluctant to meet Adam's eyes, which only piqued Adam's curiosity. "What's wrong?"

Tommy shook his head. "Nothing, My Lord."

Adam stared hard at him. "You would lie to me? After the rule I made?"

Tommy flinched, dropping his eyes. "I'm sorry. I—" He broke off and glanced around, then met Adam's eyes again. "Not here, please."

Adam held his gaze for a moment, then nodded his head. "We will handle this later in chambers, then."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, sounding relieved and resigned all at once, a combination Adam wouldn't have thought possible before that moment.

Dinner was going well by Adam's estimation, until Gregory said casually, "So, Adam. I heard talk today of screaming coming from your chambers last night. Was your slave misbehaving?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw Tommy's hands fist in his lap briefly before he forced them open and flat against his thighs. His face and ears were bright red.

Glancing at Queen Brooke, Adam didn't miss the flash of anger in her eyes, or, oddly enough, the flash of pure hatred in her servant, Isaac's, eyes as he glared at Adam from his spot standing behind her.

Giving Gregory his attention, Adam said, "He was, but it's been handled. No need to worry yourself. As you can see, he's on his best behavior today, despite how painful I imagine it is for him to sit on his heels at the moment."

The words were bitter on Adam's tongue and he prayed Tommy wouldn't hold them against him, or worse, think the night before had been about strategy instead of what it had really been about. An intimate game between lovers.

Gregory eyed Tommy and chuckled. "You have brought him in line beautifully where others have failed."

Adam was mildly shocked by the compliment and revolted at the same time. He wished he could send Tommy back to chambers right away in a bid to keep him as far away from Gregory's lecherous gaze and cruelty as possible, but they were in the middle of dinner and there would be questions if he did so. Instead, he busied himself finishing dinner, then made a plate up of Tommy's favorites and handed it down.

"Eat everything, slave. You'll need your strength later."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy answered quietly, taking the plate of food from Adam's hands, their fingers brushing briefly.

As kitchen slaves stepped forward to remove empty plates and top off everyone's goblets of wine, Queen Brooke sat back in her seat and eyed Adam speculatively.

"Indulge my curiosity, Prince Adam," she said.

Adam nodded his head and said respectfully, "Of course, Your Highness."

"I knew Tommy when he was a prince. I cannot picture him willingly embracing slavery of any kind, let alone sexual, so… Did you force it on him?"

Adam's eyebrows lifted. "That is against the laws of the realm, as you know."

Queen Brooke's lips curled into a cold smile. "You did not answer my question."

"No," Adam said. "I did not force him. He chose to be mine."

Adam said it with all the conviction the truth could give him, because it was the truth. Not the initial agreement in front of Gregory and the entire great hall, but the agreement they'd made in private, when Adam had given him the choice again and Tommy had chosen to slide to his knees and give himself to Adam entirely.

A shadow of doubt about her assumption that Tommy had been forced flickered through Queen Brooke's eyes, but was gone just as fast. "If I may, I would like to hear it from his mouth directly."

Adam nodded. "You may address him."

"Tommy," Queen Brooke said, ignoring the custom of addressing someone else's slave by his station instead of his given name. "As you well know from your days as a prince, if you answer in the negative, I will legally be allowed to give you asylum until the matter can be brought before the sovereign." Gregory opened his mouth to protest, but Queen Brooke silenced him with a glare. "And your king will not interfere because he knows as well as I that to do so would be a slap in the face to the laws of the realm and would constitute forfeiture of his crown."

Gregory clamped his mouth shut and Adam had to restrain himself from smirking. It was exhilarating watching someone put Gregory in his place. But then, just as quickly, Adam's elation deserted him as Queen Brooke once again turned her attention on Tommy and asked, "Did you freely choose to become Prince Adam's pleasure slave?"

Adam held his breath, fully expecting Tommy to take the opportunity to end his slavery that Queen Brooke—and Adam by allowing the question—was handing him on a silver platter, not to mention that it would give Tommy the chance to get back at Gregory by having him stripped of his throne as soon as the matter was brought before the sovereign.

Tommy didn't even glance at Adam, instead meeting her gaze head on as he said, "I did, Your Highness," shocking the entire table.

Silence followed, until Queen Brooke asked, "Are you sure? I have the means to protect you."

Tommy did glance at Adam then, but Adam couldn't read the look in his eyes. Turning his attention back to Queen Brooke, Tommy nodded his head. "I'm sure, Your Highness. I made my choice freely."

It was clear Queen Brooke hadn't expected that answer at all and wasn't sure how to react.

Gregory chose that moment to clasp his hands together and say, "Now that the matter is resolved, shall we open talks about the treaty proposal that brought you here?"

Queen Brooke stared at Tommy for a long minute before giving Gregory her attention. "Tomorrow. I am exhausted from my trip and would like nothing more than to be shown to chambers so that I may have a bath and relax."

Clearly not pleased but trying to cover, Gregory smiled at her. "Of course. I will have water brought to you."

After she left the hall, Gregory turned curious eyes on Tommy and asked, "Tell me, slave, why did you lie? You could have easily ended your slavery just now. I am sure there are those who would see me dethroned and would have therefore confirmed your story to the sovereign."

"I was warned not to dare seek asylum by my master. I was told I would regret it, Your Highness." Tommy paused and shifted slightly, wincing. "And I believed him."

Gregory turned surprised, pleased eyes on Adam. "Is this true?"

Adam nodded, smirking at Tommy's manipulation of the situation, knowing his uncle would think he was smirking at Tommy's plight, instead.

"It is," Adam said. "I warned him we'd find a way to get to him, either through a servant, a guard, or by poisoning his food."

Gregory returned the smirk. "And does this have anything to do with the screams coming from your chambers last night?"

Adam chuckled, even as he felt his stomach lurch. "Yes. He … did not like something I told him to do and threatened to go to the queen when she arrived and beg for asylum. I made sure he reconsidered." Adam paused, knowing his next words would most likely anger Tommy greatly. If he didn't make the offer, Gregory was sure to ask anyway, and this way it furthered his plan to make Gregory think they were alike. "He bruised beautifully. Would you care to see?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Adam could see Tommy go completely rigid, but didn't spare him a glance.

Gregory's eyes widened in delight. "I would very much like that, yes."

Adam looked at Tommy then, whose head was down, jaw clenched. "Stand and show him, slave."

Tommy hesitated for the briefest of seconds before rising gracefully to his feet. He turned his back on the king and lifted the bottom edge of his tunic, baring his underpants. Not waiting for Tommy to do it himself, Adam reached out and untied the knot holding them up. Tommy glared openly at him, even as he held still while Adam slipped his fingers under the fabric and slid his hands over Tommy's hips, dragging his underpants down in the back to reveal his ass to Gregory.

"Oh my," Gregory said. "He did bruise beautifully at that."

Tommy suddenly stiffened and looked to be about two heartbeats away from grabbing the nearest object and bludgeoning someone with it, clueing Adam in that something was going on. Peering around Tommy's side, he had to tamp down the urge to cut off Gregory's hand when he found him fondling Tommy's ass.

Instead, he pointedly yanked Tommy forward, away from Gregory's hand. In a hard voice, Adam said, "I did not give you leave to touch, only look."

Gregory's eyes narrowed. "I could force the issue. I am king, after all."

Adam's smile was cold and full of promise. "If you do that, I will reverse my decision and allow Tommy to seek asylum."

Gregory's eyes narrowed further. "And what, exactly, would that accomplish?"

Adam chuckled, pulling up Tommy's underpants and tying the waist again while he said, "It would get you off the throne, Uncle. I'm surprised you didn't figure that out. Since I'm the next in line…"

Gregory glared at him for a moment longer, then threw back his head and laughed. Adam motioned for Tommy to kneel down on his mat, then turned his attention back to Gregory.

"Something amusing, Uncle Gregory?"

Gregory pulled himself together and smiled at Adam. "I had lost all hope for you, boy, but now… You have truly grown into the man I'd hoped you would be."

He lifted his chalice in a toast and Adam had to swallow down the bile bubbling up in his throat in order to clink his goblet with Gregory's and drink to it.

As soon as Adam was able to comfortably do so without raising suspicion, he told Tommy, "Return to my chambers and ready yourself. I will be making use of you once I'm through here."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said dutifully as he rose from his mat.

Adam didn't miss the note of anger in his voice, though, and had to fight not to wince. He had his work cut out for him once he did make it back to chambers. That in mind, he signaled for a servant to top off his goblet. He was in no hurry to face Tommy's fury.

Angry and hurt and feeling more than a little betrayed, Tommy strode out of the great hall and made his way to the royal wing. He couldn't believe Adam had forced him to show the king his bruises, not after last night, after whispering in confidence to Adam how very much anyone seeing them bothered him. It was insult on top of injury, actually, after having to turn the spanking itself into something that it wasn't for public consumption. Not to mention that Brooke and Isaac— _Isaac_ , his best friend since _childhood_ —had been on hand to witness his complete and utter humiliation as King Gregory and Adam discussed his supposed 'punishment'.

Tommy wondered whose idea it had been to send Isaac in pretending to be Brooke's servant, since in reality, he was one of Tousma's highest ranking knights.

Before Tommy could get any farther down that train of thought, an arm shot out from a side hall and yanked him into it.

Tommy tensed, ready to fight off whoever was stupid enough to mess with the heir apparent's property, only to find it was Isaac.

"Isaac," Tommy breathed, relaxing and dropping his fists.

"Tommy," Isaac said.

They stared at each other for a heartbeat, and then they were hugging like their very lives depended on it.

Tommy blinked back moisture and said in a choked whisper, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Isaac said in return, face pressed against the side of Tommy's shaved head.

They held on to each other for a long moment, but eventually let go, knowing they couldn't linger forever without someone happening upon them.

"What is this?" Isaac asked, fingering Tommy's collar.

Tommy fought the urge to shy away, irritated with himself for the thought that only Adam should be allowed to touch his collar. He wasn't a slave, no matter what he played at with Adam. Isaac standing in front of him was living proof of that. It was all just an elaborate ruse in order to gain the upper hand. He'd started to forget that, he realized with a start. Hadn't he just moments ago thought of himself as Adam's property? By the gods, what was wrong with him?

"That," Tommy forced himself to say, "is my way into the royal wing at night."

Isaac shook his head. "Still. I find it hard to believe you're spreading your legs for the enemy just to get into position to take them out."

Tommy tensed. "It's not as if I had a choice."

"But you said—"

"I lied," Tommy interrupted. "It was either become his sex slave or get beheaded."

Isaac's mouth snapped shut at that and he frowned. "The plan was for you to play the part of dutiful slave. Earn their trust. How did it nearly get to a beheading?"

Tommy sighed and leaned against the wall, the filmy material of his tunic doing nothing to protect him from the cool stone at his back. "It was one thing after another, I'm afraid. I ended up in the breaking yard," he paused as Isaac gasped, then continued, "and some of the slaves there thought to make me pay for the sins of every authority figure who had ever wronged them by passing me around at night."

"Oh gods. Did they… Were you…"

Tommy pressed his lips together and shook his head. "No, but it was a near thing. I killed one of them in front of the guards and was brought before the king, who gave me the option: a beheading or become Adam's pleasure slave."

Isaac shook his head. "But why—"

"Adam and his uncle do not see eye to eye, no matter what it appeared like tonight. King Gregory fully expected Adam to fail to bring me in line and therefore prove himself unworthy to manage a kingdom given he couldn't manage one slave."

"So he does that by beating you at night before raping you?" Isaac said, voice hard.

"No!" Tommy whispered too loudly. Cursing, he peeked around the corner to make sure no one was around, then ducked back into the shadows with Isaac. "No," he repeated, quieter. In spite of his current anger and hurt caused by Adam's words and actions in front of the king, Tommy found himself defending him. "It's not like that. Adam and I are in this together. He's trying to keep his hold on the throne and I'm trying to keep my head on my shoulders. Last night wasn't— Adam didn't punish me, Isaac, I swear. It was a—" Tommy paused and glanced around to make sure they weren't being overheard, before finishing quietly, "sex game."

Isaac's eyes widened. "Beating you was a sex game?"

Tommy shook his head even as his face heated. "He didn't beat me. He spanked me. It's apparently something that's done here for fun between lovers. I liked it." He paused at the skepticism on Isaac's face, then added, "I _did_. And I consented."

"You can't consent," Isaac spat. "You're his _sex slave_. You have no say."

Tommy shook his head, willing Isaac to understand. If Isaac—or Brooke for that matter—took this to Monte, Tommy feared what he would do, fairly sure whatever it was would be born of rage and not well thought through. "It's not like that. Adam gives me … options."

"You mean he lets you think you have options in order to gain your cooperation."

Tommy tensed. 'That's not true."

"Have you ever said no?" Isaac asked pointedly.

Tommy hesitated, then shook his head.

Isaac nodded, arms crossing over his chest. "Then you don't know for sure he'd actually stop."

Tommy sighed. "I can't explain it, Isaac, but I do know. He _would_ stop."

Isaac looked unconvinced.

"When are you supposed to contact Monte?" Tommy asked, trying another angle.

"Two days from now, Queen Brooke is going to suggest a hunting excursion. I'll break away from the group and meet with David, who will relay the message to Monte that you are alive and well."

"That is why you're posing as Brooke's servant," Tommy said. Isaac nodded. "Is Monte nearby?" Tommy asked anxiously, wishing he could talk to Monte himself.

"Yes," Isaac said. "He's in the woods just to the north of here."

Tommy nodded, some of the tension unwinding inside his gut. "Has he healed from his injuries?"

Isaac nodded again. "He has. It took longer than expected, but he's in fighting shape and ready to take on Vox. The last minute details are being seen to now. Queen Brooke sent out messengers to the knights in her charge in the outlying areas nigh on two weeks ago. They should be arriving soon, ready for battle."

Tommy blew out a breath. "Good. That is good."

"Is it?" Isaac asked.

Tommy frowned at him. "What are you asking me?"

"The way you talk about Adam… Will you be able to follow through with the plan when the time comes?"

Tommy honestly didn't know, but there was no way he was going to admit that to Isaac, not when so much hung in the balance. If Monte caught wind that Tommy was wavering, he might declare him under duress and take control of the when, where and how.

Deciding the best defense was a powerful offense, Tommy narrowed his gaze at Isaac. "I know we've been friends since childhood, but I _am_ your king. You would do well not to question me."

Isaac's jaw clenched and he said curtly, "Yes, Your Highness. Forgive me."

Immediately regretting his tone and the implied threat, Tommy sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Just leave Adam to me. I'll deal with him and the rest of the royal family as need be. Tell David to tell Monte I'm in position, and find out how he plans to let us know when everything's ready on his end."

Isaac nodded. "Anything you would like me to tell Queen Brooke?"

Tommy hesitated, then nodded. "Explain the... Explain my backside to her. And tell her I have not forgotten who I am or what I'm here for, and that I will be indebted to her for this."

"I do not require your debt," Brooke said, coming around the corner.

Tommy's eyes darted past her. "How did you… We didn't hear anything."

Brooke smiled and lifted her skirts to show that her feet were bare of sandals, which would have clicked all the way down the hall. "I did not want to alert anyone of my presence. I'm supposed to be in chambers because of exhaustion."

Tommy smiled. "As clever as ever."

Brooke grinned. "As if you would expect anything less." Stepping forward, she said more seriously, "We need to talk."

Tommy nodded. Looking at Isaac, he said, "Keep watch so that we are not surprised again."

Isaac nodded and started down the hall until he was just out of sight near the end of it, where it opened to the main passage.

Giving his attention to Brooke, Tommy said, "Thank you for this. You're taking a huge risk, going up against Vox, given the state Tousma's in at the moment."

Brooke waved Tommy's thanks away. "Vox is a bully. It needs to be taken down."

Tommy nodded. "This is true, although I've come to find the blame for that lies fully on the king's shoulders and a select few of his supporters."

Brooke pressed her lips together and reached out, fingering Tommy's piercing that marked him as Adam's. "We could have taken this to the sovereign. She would have believed you, I am sure of it. Now that you publicly accepted your slavery, though, it's too late. Why did you not take the opportunity I gave you at dinner?"

"Because it would have only freed _me_ ," Tommy explained. "My knights would remain here as slaves, and Tousma would remain under Vox control, even if King Gregory was taken out of power. I want my kingdom _back_ , Brooke. On my terms."

Brooke dropped her hand and looked steadily at him. "So you _were_ forced."

"Yes," Tommy admitted. "By the king. It was this or death."

"That bastard," Brooke said, venom in her voice.

Tommy shook his head. "But don't you see? He handed me the perfect opening to take them out in their sleep. I'm already in the royal wing." He paused, then added, "The truth is, even if I had been given a fair choice, I would have chosen to be Adam's slave anyway. I was in the breaking yard at the time. Nowhere close to where I needed to be to do what I came here for."

"And the screaming heard from the prince's chambers last night?"

Tommy nodded his head toward Isaac. "He will explain. I can't remain here much longer. Adam ordered me to chambers. If he doesn't find me there…"

"There will be another beating?" Brooke surmised.

Tommy shook his head. "Contrary to what you heard, he does not beat me. He will, however, have questions I won't be able to answer. We'll talk more later."

Brooke nodded. "I'm holding you to that. This isn't sitting well with me, Tommy. I'll play along for now, but if you don't find a way to speak to me alone tomorrow, I will send for the sovereign."

"Understood," Tommy said.

The fire was starting to die a little in the fireplace by the time Adam stepped into his chambers, not nearly enough alcohol in his system to take on the argument he expected to find. So when he found Tommy naked and kneeling in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind his back, knees slightly spread, the firelight dancing over his skin and giving it an unearthly glow that was fascinating and arousing all at once, it was understandable that he temporarily lost the power to speak.

When he regained it, he still couldn't manage to speak in full sentences, so all that came out was, "What is— Why are you…"

Keeping his gaze cast down, Tommy said flatly, "You said to be ready so you could make use of me. I'm oiled and ready, My Lord."

Adam swallowed, aroused and disturbed at the same time. There was something off, but he couldn't quite place it with lust suffusing every inch of his body. And then something in particular Tommy said filtered through and Adam's mouth went dry. "You're oiled? Meaning you…"

"Prepared and stretched myself, yes, My Lord," Tommy said in that same flat tone.

That was when it hit Adam, what was wrong. He crossed the room quickly and grabbed Tommy's upper arms, pulling him to his feet. "Look at me."

Tommy lifted his gaze and the anger lurking there in counterpoint to the flat tone took Adam's breath away.

Adam's fingers tightened on Tommy's arms, but if it hurt, Tommy's expression didn't give it away.

"Stop it," Adam ordered. "That was for my uncle's benefit. I have never and will never treat you like nothing more than a hole to get off in, understand?"

A flicker of doubt crossed Tommy's face, but then the anger was back in place and Tommy said, "Why not? It's what I am now, isn't it?"

Adam's fingers tightened further, nails digging into flesh, and Tommy's jaw clenched. Realizing he was actually causing Tommy pain, Adam set him away from him and tried to ignore the knowledge that Tommy's asshole was slicked and stretched and just waiting for his cock, in favor of dealing with the issue at hand.

"Tell me what's wrong," Adam said. Tommy opened his mouth, obviously getting ready to say something flip, but Adam headed it off by adding, "That's an order."

Tommy's mouth snapped shut and he glared at Adam. Adam waited him out and eventually Tommy dropped his gaze and stared at Adam's chest instead as he said, "I confided to you last night how I felt about the thought of anyone seeing the bruises and so today, what do you do? Force me to show them off to the one person in this realm I hate above all others. For his amusement. And then he _touched_ me." The last part was hissed out between clenched teeth.

Adam felt sick. He backed up a step, and then another and another, until he finally turned away and walked to the other side of the room completely, not stopping until he was at the edge of the hearth, staring into the fireplace. Near silence shrouded the room for a long time, the only sound the crackle of the fire as it burned.

When Adam thought he could open his mouth without vomiting, he said quietly, "The deal's off."

"The—" Tommy broke off, then asked, tone clearly confused, "What?"

Adam turned and looked over at Tommy, who was still standing where Adam had left him. "The deal. The one where we have sex and I'm in charge and you submit to me. It's over. We'll just do what we should have done in the first place and pretend for everyone else, but keep to ourselves when we're alone."

"Why?" Tommy asked, and Adam could have hit him for the hurt in his tone. Didn't Tommy see that Adam was trying to make up for everything he'd forced on him?

"Why? Because I did what I swore never to do. I violated you. I would have thought you'd be happy to be free of me."

Tommy blinked at him, forehead furrowing, anger gone, honest confusion in its place. "You didn't violate me."

Adam stared at him. "I did. I forced you into something I knew you didn't want."

Tommy opened his mouth and closed it several times before sighing and walking over. He stopped a foot short of touching Adam and held his gaze as he said, "You didn't violate me," he repeated. "You hurt me, yes. I felt … betrayed. But I understand the politics involved here. I know why you did it. And you pulled me out of reach of him as soon as you realized what he was doing. None of that is the same as violating me."

Adam swallowed and looked back into the fire, not knowing what to say to that. Part of him knew Tommy was right, but the other part, the part that remembered…

A hand on his arm brought Adam back to himself and he looked over at Tommy.

"What is it?" Tommy asked.

Adam shook his head. "I don't know—"

"You're lying," Tommy said, tone firm. He squeezed Adam's arm reassuringly. "If it helps, switch roles with me for a moment. Let me give you the orders."

Adam stared hard at him, and then, with a nearly imperceptible nod of his head, gave Tommy all the power.

Tommy exhaled and took Adam's hand, leading him over to the bed. Sitting down in the middle of it, Tommy looked at Adam where he left him standing beside it and said, "Strip."

Adam hesitated. "What does that have to do with—"

"I told you to strip, not talk," Tommy said, tone brooking no argument.

Adam found himself obeying before he consciously thought about it, amazed to find he wanted to follow Tommy's orders, at least for the moment. Once he was naked, he stood by the bed again and waited for instructions.

Tommy nodded. "Very good. Now sit down facing me."

Adam climbed on the bed, feeling strangely vulnerable, and yet safe at the same time. He wondered briefly if this was how Tommy normally felt, and he hoped so, at least the safe part.

Once he was sitting naked and cross-legged facing an equally naked Tommy, Adam asked quietly, "Now what?"

"Now you explain your reaction to my anger with you just now," Tommy said. "The same rules apply to you that you impose on me. Total honesty."

Adam looked down at the blanket just beyond his legs, took a deep breath and found himself hesitantly admitting something he'd never thought he'd admit in his life. "Randal was barely sixteen when my uncle took him as his husband. He—"

Adam broke off and Tommy reached over, placing a hand on Adam's bare knee. Softly, he asked, "He what?"

Adam lifted his gaze to Tommy's and said, "Randal wasn't the first boy of that age he's ever taken to his bed. And it never really mattered to him whether they were willing or not. In fact, I think he prefers them to be unwilling."

Tommy frowned. "How do you… What, were there rumors?"

"No," Adam said, waiting for Tommy to catch on, praying he would, because Adam didn't honestly think he could say the words out loud.

Tommy's eyes suddenly widened in horror. "He didn't. Tell me I'm wrong."

Adam swallowed and shook his head, mortified to find his eyes welling with moisture. "You're not wrong," he said in a choked voice.

Tommy was across the bed and sitting sideways in Adam's lap in an instant, arms wrapped around him, one hand forcing Adam's head down to his shoulder. Adam took a shaky breath, not sure what to make of Tommy's reaction. This hadn't been how he'd thought it would go, not that he'd even once thought about admitting any of what Gregory had done to him in the first year after Adam's father's death to anyone. He suspected Neil knew, although they'd never talked about it. Given it had stopped about a week after Adam's seventeenth birthday, and the fact that it had been about that time that Neil had come into his own, gaining a confidence he hadn't had before and even more telling, a certain cockiness around their uncle, Adam was pretty sure that Neil was the reason Gregory had finally stopped coming to Adam's room at night and forcing his way into Adam's body. And as far as Adam knew, Gregory had never even tried it with Neil.

Too caught up in memories that made his skin crawl, Adam decided to stop trying to understand Tommy's reaction and just accept the comfort being given. With a deep, shaky sigh, he wrapped his arms around Tommy in return and let go, crying tears he'd never thought he'd release onto Tommy's bare shoulder.

Long minutes later, he realized Tommy was rocking them back and forth, making shushing sounds, and Adam was fairly sure he should want to crawl under the nearest rock for blubbering like that, only he couldn't be bothered because he'd just told someone what had happened to him, the hell he'd lived through at a man's hands he was now forced to deal with day in, day out, and the world hadn't come crashing down around him. He was still there, still breathing, and he felt … safe. And it was all down to Tommy.

"Thank you," he whispered against the side of Tommy's neck, lips brushing over the collar still there.

"No," Tommy whispered back, obviously just as wary of breaking the spell around them as Adam was. "Thank you. For trusting me enough to tell me that." Adam tightened his arms around Tommy in response and Tommy added, "And now I want to run him through even more than I did before. Maybe cut a few things off while I'm at it."

A surprised laugh borne as much of relief that Tommy wasn't looking at him like he was disgusting as it was by the vehemence in Tommy's voice, bubbled up Adam's throat.

Tommy hooked a finger under Adam's chin and tilted his head up, staring down into Adam's eyes. "Give me control for a little longer. Let me have you. Let me give you new memories of how it should be to crowd the bad ones out."

Adam's breath caught and he wavered. He'd never let anyone take him before or since. Before, mostly because it just hadn't come up. The partners he tended to be attracted to preferred to take it. Since, because every time he even considered it, his chest tightened and his breathing became labored and he felt like he was going to pass out. None of that was happening right then, though, with Tommy holding him and staring into his eyes, waiting patiently for his answer.

Making his decision, Adam said, "You have control until you choose to give it up."

Tommy's eyes widened at the blanket permission. He hesitated only the briefest of seconds before leaning in and kissing Adam, not a hint of his usual submissiveness in sight as he took charge, licking into Adam's mouth as his hands came up to frame Adam's face.

It wasn't long before Adam was moaning into the kiss, his dick lengthening and filling against the outside of Tommy's thigh. Tommy groaned and shifted against it, then lifted himself and turned to straddle Adam's lap and lean over him, making Adam bend backwards and brace himself on his hands in order to keep from tipping over.

"Lie down," Tommy breathed against Adam's lips.

Adam obliged and Tommy followed him down, bracing himself over Adam with one hand. With the other, he threaded his fingers through Adam's long hair and took hold, not pulling, just keeping Adam where he wanted him. Adam hadn't thought he'd enjoy giving up control like he was, but the evidence rested against his stomach, hard and heavy.

When Tommy let go of Adam's hair, his hand traveled down Adam's body until he reached his cock, taking it in hand and pumping it lazily.

"I should make you beg for it like you make me," Tommy said as he kissed his way along Adam's jaw and throat.

Adam moaned and arched his neck, giving Tommy better access. Tommy responded with a groan of his own and bit down on the juncture between neck and shoulder. "Would you like that? Ass in the air, face in the pillows, moaning and begging for my cock?"

"Oh my gods," Adam said, reaching up to grab hold of Tommy's hips, intent on pulling him down to grind on.

Tommy shoved Adam's hands away, clueing Adam in on just how easily Tommy could have fought him off all along if he'd chosen to.

Sitting back on Adam's thighs, Tommy let go of Adam's dick and grabbed his wrists. Leaning forward again, Tommy pushed Adam's wrists down to the mattress near his head and put his weight on them. "Leave them there or I'll tie you up."

"Okay," Adam managed, cock jumping against his stomach. His eyes dropped to Tommy's collar and he hesitantly asked, "Do you want me to remove that and the bracelets?"

Tommy shook his head, not even taking time to think about it. "No. I'm still yours. Our agreement stands. I won't let you break it so easily. This is just another side of that."

Adam nodded, more relieved than he cared to admit. He didn't truly want their agreement to be over.

Kissing his way down the side of Adam's neck and over his chest, Tommy let go of Adam's wrists, trusting Adam to keep them where they were, and Adam did, fists clenching against the urge to grab Tommy and roll them over, reverse their positions, reverse their roles. He wanted this more, though, and he'd given Tommy permission, so he forced himself to stay put and take whatever Tommy gave him.

Adam gasped and bucked when Tommy suddenly bit a nipple. Tommy chuckled. "Like that?"

"Yes," Adam said on a moan.

Tommy did it again and Adam groaned, hips canting up, trying to find friction. Tommy wasn't giving it to him, though, sitting back too far on Adam's legs for their dicks to touch. It was beyond frustrating.

"Please," Adam panted.

Tommy lifted his head and smirked at Adam. "Begging already? I thought I'd have to work harder for it than that."

Adam let his breath out on a huff. "If that's all you're waiting for, I'll beg as prettily as you want right now."

Tommy shook his head. "No way. Too easy. I want you to fight it, fight not to beg until you can't stand it anymore and have to beg or you'll burst."

Adam groaned in frustration, arm muscles tensing as he fought not to move. "You're cruel, you know that?"

Tommy chuckled and moved back up Adam's body to bite at his ear. "You have no one to blame but yourself. I learned from the best."

Adam found himself smiling, unaccountably pleased with Tommy's choice of words. Tommy lifted his head, saw the smile, and rolled his eyes, a smile creeping across his own lips a second before he slid down Adam's body and licked a line up the underside of Adam's cock.

Adam gasped and arched, only to have Tommy wrap his hands around Adam's hips and hold him down. And then the real torture began. By the time Tommy finally took Adam in his mouth, Adam was a writhing, panting mess, biting down on his lip to keep from begging. He cried out in relief as the wet heat of Tommy's mouth sank down around him inch by inch, only to disappear again as Tommy went back to merely sucking on the head and tonguing the slit.

Finally, Adam broke and began begging, babbled pleas for more that slipped from his lips easier than he would have thought possible. Only then did Tommy shift from straddling Adam's legs to pressing his knee between Adam's.

Adam sucked in a sharp breath and stilled for a moment before he let Tommy spread his legs and settle between them. It was a strange feeling, but a good one. And then Tommy sucked Adam back into his mouth and bobbed his head up and down, pleasuring Adam to within a heartbeat of his orgasm before pulling off.

In a husky voice, Tommy said, "No coming until I give you permission or I'll turn you over my knee."

Adam nodded eagerly. Anything to get those plump lips wrapped around his dick again. Only, Tommy didn't immediately start sucking him again. Instead, he leaned up and over, grabbing the oil off the bedside table.

Adam tensed and Tommy paused. "You can call this off if you want. We're supposed to be making a good memory. If it's not, you need to let me know."

Adam shook his head. "I don't want to stop. I just…"

"You just what?" Tommy asked, oiling a finger then running it in teasing little circles over the patch of skin behind Adam's balls, working his way ever so slowly back to Adam's hole.

Adam exhaled, having completely lost his train of thought. "I honestly have no idea."

Tommy grinned. "Just what I was waiting for."

"What you were—" Adam broke off and gasped as one of Tommy's fingers pushed inside him. "Oh," he said, trying to stave off a moment of blinding panic.

"Adam," Tommy said calmly. "Adam, look at me."

Adam looked down his body at Tommy and tried to breathe.

"That's it," Tommy said. "Look at me and see _me_. I'm right here. Breathe."

Adam nodded and took a deep breath, calming slowly but surely, focusing on Tommy and shoving his other thoughts away.

"Ready for another?" Tommy asked after a few minutes of fucking him with one finger.

Adam nodded again and Tommy knelt up between Adam's legs, reaching for the oil. He tipped it over his fingers, between Adam's legs, and then worked another finger in. Adam groaned as Tommy felt around inside him until he hit that spot, the one Adam always worked to hit inside Tommy, and then sparks shot off under Adam's skin, making him feel hot all over and unable to breath all at once.

"Tommy, Tommy please. Want you in me. Now. _Please_ ," Adam begged, spreading his legs wide and canting his hips up to the rhythm of Tommy's fingers pushing inside him.

"Just a little more," Tommy said, voice rough as he worked another finger in. "Just a little more and I'll fuck you until you come on my dick."

"Oh gods," Adam said, writhing and clutching at the pillow under his head.

Tommy pressed his fingers in one final time before pulling out. Adam watched through heavy-lidded eyes as Tommy oiled himself up and positioned himself between Adam's legs, pushing one of Adam's knees up to his chest.

Tommy hesitated and looked at Adam, waiting until Adam nodded his head before Tommy breached him. They both groaned as the head of Tommy's dick pushed in.

Thrusting slowly, Tommy said, "You feel amazing."

Adam moaned and bore down, taking more of Tommy in. "So do you."

Tommy pulled partway out, then thrust in again, deeper, deeper, until he bottomed out. He paused above Adam and Adam watched the way he squeezed his eyes shut, arms shaking slightly as he held back and it set something free in Adam, released the final knot that had been twisting its way through him.

Wrapping his legs around Tommy's waist, Adam let his arms go lax and said, "Come on, Tommy. Fuck me. Make me feel it."

Tommy opened his eyes and the heat and need Adam saw there made his breath catch. And then his breath was catching for another reason entirely as Tommy took his words to heart and started thrusting into him, fast and hard.

Adam tried to meet him thrust for thrust, but Tommy was driving into him so hard Adam couldn't keep up, not with the pleasure shuddering through him every time Tommy hit that spot inside, and soon Adam gave up and just held on for the ride, panting and moaning and begging for _more, harder, faster_.

"I'm close," Tommy said between gasps for air and thrusts into Adam's body. "Touch yourself. Come with me."

Adam moaned in relief, immediately reaching for his dick. He fisted it, keeping time with Tommy's thrusts until Tommy's hips fell out of rhythm and then it didn't matter anymore because Adam's balls were drawing up and his thighs were clenching around Tommy's waist and he was arching and crying out as blinding white pleasure ripped through his body, causing him to seize up around Tommy.

Tommy cried out in response and thrust in a handful of times before freezing and releasing himself inside Adam. Adam gasped at the feeling, warmth spreading through him that moved beyond where he and Tommy were connected.

Breathing hard, Tommy collapsed on top of Adam, face pressed to the side of Adam's neck.

Adam sucked in much needed air himself and asked in a rough voice, "Can I touch you now?"

"What?" Tommy asked, sounding a little disoriented, which made Adam smile.

"You ordered me to keep my arms still. Can I move them now?"

"Oh," Tommy said, lifting his head and pushing his fringe out of his face. Smiling down at Adam, he said, "Yeah. You can move them now."

Adam wrapped his arms around Tommy and pulled him down again, fitting Tommy's head to his shoulder.

Tommy chuckled. "Thought I was in control until I gave it back."

"You are. I'm just anticipating your every desire."

"So you anticipated me wanting to be held immobile on top of you?" Tommy asked, voice muffled by Adam's neck.

"Was I wrong?" Adam asked.

Tommy snorted, but snuggled in closer, even as his dick slipped free of Adam's body. "No. You weren't wrong."

"Okay, then," Adam said, turning his head to kiss the side of Tommy's.

They laid there for a few more minutes before Tommy sighed. "Let me up so I can clean us up."

Adam reluctantly let go, kicking himself right then for giving Tommy control until Tommy chose to give it back.

Tommy chuckled as he lifted his head and looked at Adam. "Quit pouting. It looks ridiculous on you."

Adam smiled and a sudden burst of feeling welled up inside him. Grabbing Tommy's wrist before Tommy could climb off him completely, they both _oomphed_ as Adam yanked, sending Tommy sprawling across Adam's chest.

Adam kissed Tommy's protests away, then held his face between his hands and looked in Tommy's eyes as he said, "Thank you. For this."

Tommy dropped his eyes, face pinking adorably. "It's not so much, not after everything you've done for me." Tommy lifted his gaze again and said, "I wouldn't even be breathing if it wasn't for you."

Tommy leaned down and kissed him again, then whispered against his lips, "I need to clean us up before we stick together."

Adam nipped at Tommy's bottom lip. "Would that be so bad?"

"It might get awkward when one of us has to pee later."

Adam huffed out a laugh and let go of Tommy. "Fine. Go get something to clean us."

Tommy climbed off the bed and Adam rolled onto his side, watching Tommy walk away, his bruised ass flexing as he moved. If it hadn't been much too soon after coming for Adam to get hard again, he would have been hard at the sight.

Tommy caught him looking when he turned back with the towel and smirked on his way over. "Admiring your handiwork?"

Adam grinned. "You know me too well."

Tommy bit his bottom lip as he set to work wiping Adam down, front and back, then himself before he tossed the cloth in the direction of the fireplace.

When he looked up to meet Adam's gaze again, he said, "You said I have control until I give it up."

Adam nodded, waiting for whatever Tommy was going to say next.

"I'm giving back control."

Adam sat up quickly, pulling Tommy against him in a bruising kiss. Afterwards, he pulled back and looked at Tommy, saying, "I meant it, you know. I would have let you have it as long as you wanted."

Tommy grinned. "I know."

Adam searched his eyes and smiled in return. "On your stomach."

Tommy's eyes widened. "But we… Neither of us can…"

Adam just waited him out until Tommy turned in a huff and flopped on his stomach.

"Happy?" he asked petulantly over his shoulder.

Adam had to bite back a laugh. "Yes. Very."

Tommy rolled his eyes and laid his head on the pillow, but Adam didn't miss the smug smile that curved Tommy's lips. He'd wipe that smugness away soon enough and replace it with pleasure.

"Now," Adam said, smacking Tommy's bruised backside lightly and smirking at the gasp it brought to Tommy's lips, "I teach you what it really means to make someone beg. Spread your legs."


	10. Chapter 10

  


"Where are we going?" Tommy asked as he accepted the clothing Adam handed to him.

"It's a surprise."

Tommy set the clothes on the bed and picked up the tunic. The cloth was of fine quality, but it wasn't see-through like the others. Curiosity killing him, Tommy shrugged into it, then picked up a pair of underpants and slipped them on. Next were a pair of leggings that had Tommy arching his eyebrows at Adam. It wasn't a hot day by any means, but it wasn't cold either.

Adam chuckled. "Just dress. You'll find out soon enough."

Tommy pulled on the leggings and secured them under his tunic, then tied the soft leather belt provided around his waist, which served to pull in the sides of his tunic.

"Now what?" Tommy asked, pushing hair that was still damp from his bath earlier out of his face.

"Present your neck," Adam said.

Tommy stepped forward and tilted his chin up so Adam could secure the diamond collar around his throat. Once Adam was through, Tommy dutifully held out his hands, expecting the slave bracelets to be next, but Adam shook his head.

"No, they would get in the way. Come, but remember your place as we go through the great hall. Uncle Gregory will probably try to bait you. He is not happy about this."

Tommy's eyebrows lifted at that, wondering what Adam could possibly be up to that would both anger the king but that the king wouldn't outright forbid based on that.

Following Adam across the room, Tommy mumbled, "I should have kept control longer. I could have made you tell me."

Adam laughed and turned back toward him, pulling Tommy into his arms for a kiss. Afterwards, he bit playfully at Tommy's bottom lip.

"Don't pout. You look ridiculous," Adam said, throwing Tommy's words from the night before back in his face.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Give me a hint, then?"

Adam grinned. "Your backside's not going to appreciate it, but I'm willing to bet you'll enjoy what we're doing too much to care."

Tommy returned the grin. "A bet, hmm? What are the stakes?"

Adam appeared to think about it. "If I win, you are to greet me kneeling, oiled and stretched every night for a week when I arrive in chambers, just like you were last night, except with an erection and without the anger."

Tommy's heart picked up pace slightly. "You liked that, did you?"

"Very much, yes. You have no idea how hard it was for me not to take you then and there, no matter your mood or reasoning behind it."

Tommy's cock twitched in interest. "Done. And if I win?"

"You can touch yourself when I'm not around and come without permission for the next week."

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath. "What are we waiting for? Let's go so I can win this bet."

Adam laughed and led the way out of chambers. "We shall see who wins."

"We shall," Tommy replied, staying behind and to the left of him like a dutiful slave as they stepped out into the hall.

Minutes later, they were almost through the great hall when King Gregory called Adam over, and by default, Tommy.

When Adam stopped in front of King Gregory's throne, the king reached over and rested a hand on Randal's knee. "My husband was otherwise occupied last night and didn't get to see your slave's bruises."

Tommy tensed, willing Adam to say no, even though he knew it wasn't all that likely. They had to keep up appearances, and now that Tommy knew what King Gregory had done to Adam, he understood the dynamic between them much better. There was a battle for control going on here that went beyond issues of the throne.

Adam remained silent for a moment before nodding his head and gesturing Tommy forward. "Show Lord Randal your bruises, slave."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy replied dutifully, face heating at all the people around to witness his embarrassment.

Last night they had at least been tucked away along one wall, out of the way of most traffic, and the table had lent some cover. Now, though, he had to step up onto the stone platform the throne sat on and face the entire room as he dropped his pants for the king and his husband to ogle.

Tommy turned toward the room and took a deep breath. Keeping his gaze locked on Adam's feet, Tommy reached under his tunic to unfasten his leggings and underpants. He slid them down over his ass, then flipped the back of his tunic up, exposing himself.

"Wow," Randal said, sounding impressed despite himself. "I'll bet he screamed beautifully."

"He did," Adam boasted.

"Did he learn his lesson?" Randal asked.

"He would not be standing here exposed without so much as a sound of protest if he hadn't. Trust me on that."

Tommy didn't need to look up to know Adam was smirking for their benefit. Fists clenching in his gathered tunic, Tommy tried not to let what Adam was saying bother him. It was all for show, he reminded himself. That didn't, however, minimize the humiliation.

"I would like to hear that from your slave's own lips," King Gregory said.

Tommy's gaze flicked up to Adam's face as Adam asked, "Am I right? Did you learn your lesson?"

Tommy hesitated, just long enough to give King Gregory and Lord Randal the impression he was still battling with submission but clearly unwilling to take another beating in the name of pride, before responding, "Yes, My Lord. I know my place."

Adam nodded, then asked, "And your place is?"

"I'm your property, My Lord. Yours to do with as you choose," Tommy responded, cursing himself for getting turned on as he said that, given the circumstances he was being forced to say it under. It helped a little that the look in Adam's eyes told Tommy he was having the exact same problem.

"I am impressed," Randal said, then. "You appear to have managed the impossible and brought him in line." He paused, then asked, "May I touch?"

"No," Adam said firmly and Tommy had to fight not to exhale loudly in relief. "He's mine and I have no intention of sharing. Look your fill, but your hands stay off."

"Understandable," Randal said, even though he didn't sound very happy about it.

Adam motioned for Tommy to right his clothing and Tommy hurried to comply, gaze flicking around the room for any sign Brooke or Isaac had witnessed his humiliation. They were nowhere to be found, though, and for that Tommy was immensely grateful.

Adam nodded his head in King Gregory's direction and turned to leave. Tommy started down the steps after him, but King Gregory's voice froze them both in their tracks.

"So would you agree he's ready for a performance?"

Adam turned slowly back and Tommy stared at him as Adam met Gregory's eyes over Tommy's shoulder. "Excuse me?"

"You promised me a performance once he was properly brought in line."

"Surely you don't mean now," Adam said.

"No, of course not," King Gregory said. "We will be having a feast to send Queen Brooke off at the end of the week. That will do."

Adam nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I look forward to showing him off."

Tommy's skin crawled with the feeling of King Gregory's gaze on him as they made their way out of the hall. They didn't speak until they neared the stables and Adam was able to pull him behind several stacks of hay, and into his arms.

Tommy remained stiff for a moment, until Adam whispered next to his ear, "I’m sorry. I wish there was a way around what happened in there and what's going to happen at the feast."

Tommy exhaled and relaxed into Adam's arms, bringing his own up to wrap around Adam's waist. "As do I."

Adam leaned back a little and pressed a kiss to Tommy's temple, murmuring, "Soon we will both be free of him."

Tommy pulled back and stared up into Adam's eyes, looking for some sign he knew of Tommy's plan, but no. Adam was talking about when he'd be of age to take over the throne in a little over a year. That was not soon by Tommy's standards, but he could see how it might feel like that to Adam, after being forced to wait on his birthright for years now.

Tommy nodded and Adam's lips pressed against his. Tommy hummed quietly and opened for Adam's questing tongue. It was just a quick kiss, a taste, and then Adam was gone, stepping back and letting go of Tommy.

"We should be on our way," he said.

Tommy followed him back out from around the haystacks, asking, "When do I get to know what's going on?"

Adam led Tommy into the royal stables and turned to face him, a bright smile on his face. "Now."

Tommy's eyes widened as he looked past Adam to where Wild was waiting, already saddled up, Jeffery holding his reins. "I get to ride him again? And the king's allowing it?"

Adam nodded. "Yes, and yes. I convinced him it was in our best interests if he wanted that treaty agreement with Queen Brooke to come to fruition."

Tommy frowned. "But how…"

Tommy trailed off when he heard Brooke's laughter trickle in through the open stable doors that led out to the exercise field.

Adam grinned. "It's obvious she has her doubts about your enslavement. What better way to put her worry to rest that you were forced into this and too scared to admit that, than showing her how well I treat you and how very happy with the situation you are?"

Tommy's grin was slow, but sure. "You have no idea how much I want you right now."

Adam's eyes flashed with heat. "None of that or I will bend you over the nearest haystack, regardless of who else is around."

Jeffery's eyes widened a little, but otherwise, he didn't react.

Instead of being mortified, though, Tommy laughed, knowing that Adam was joking. "I shall behave, My Lord."

Adam's eyes danced in amusement. "See that you do."

After giving Jeffery a quick hug hello, Tommy climbed astride Wild with a wince as his sore ass settled in the saddle. Adam mounted his own horse and smirked at Tommy. Tommy rolled his eyes, already preparing himself for a week spent making sure he was on his knees when Adam arrived to chambers in the evening, knowing he'd lost. Of course a bit of discomfort wouldn't matter to him in the face of getting to ride Wild and spend time with Brook and Isaac.

Adam laughed and started for the field, Tommy following behind. They spotted Brooke and Isaac immediately. They were at the other end of the field, laughing and talking. Adam and Tommy were halfway across the field before they looked up from their conversation and noticed them.

Both their eyes widened and the smiles immediately dropped from their faces. Tommy bit his bottom lip, wondering how this was going to work, considering how much was going on under the surface that Adam knew nothing about. Another wave of guilt surged through Tommy at that and he wished yet again he could tell Adam everything.

"Prince Adam, Tommy," Brooke said, nodding to them in turn.

Adam nodded back and said, "Your Highness. Shall I assume by your refusal to call my slave by his proper address that you do not care much for formality in regards to master/slave relations?"

Brooke looked surprised by the directness of the question, but nodded. "You assume correctly. I'd just as soon have him address me informally as he did when he visited Solvo as a prince, to be quite honest. I dislike the whole concept of slaves, as I'm sure you know."

Adam smiled. "Very well." Looking over at Tommy, Adam said, "You may talk freely as you do in chambers." He looked back at Brooke and added, "As long as this goes no further than the four of us."

Tommy exhaled and relaxed his shoulders. "Thanks." Looking over at Brooke, Tommy smiled and said, "And thank you Brooke."

"Now that that's settled," Adam said, "would you care for some company on your morning exercise?" Adam asked.

Brooke smiled at him and Tommy could tell the warmth in her gaze was sincere. "I would very much like that."

The four of them settled into formation, with Adam and Brooke alongside each other, and Tommy and Isaac alongside each other.

"Is this the same horse you rode into Solvo on?" Isaac asked even though they both knew very well it was.

Tommy nodded. "One and the same."

"They let you keep him?"

Tommy shook his head. "Not exactly. He was moments from execution when Adam stepped in and stopped it, actually."

Turning partially in his saddle, Adam scolded, "Don't be modest. It's because of you we didn't have to put him down." Adam looked over at Isaac. "I walked into the stables and there Tommy was, talking to him like they were old friends. Of course, I figured out right off it was Tommy's warhorse since before that, the horse wouldn't let anyone within kicking distance without serious injuries occurring. Tommy calmed him, though, and taught the horse to trust me and Jeffery, who takes care of him now that Tommy's no longer a stable slave."

"But you didn't have to stop it, knowing the time it would take to earn Wild's trust," Tommy argued.

He didn't even realize what he'd said until Isaac feigned curiosity. "Wild?"

Shifting in his seat and feeling every bruise on his ass because of it, Tommy said, "That's his name."

Brooke cocked her head a little and said to Adam, "I know first hand from looking him over myself and seeing him in action when Tommy and his father visited our kingdom that Wild is a superior horse, even by royal standards. Most likely superior even to your own mount, yet you allow Tommy to ride him instead of taking him for yourself?"

Adam shrugged. "Tommy cares for Wild the way best friends care for each other. Forget our stations. What kind of man would I be to not only deny Tommy a brisk morning ride on Wild's back, but force him to watch me ride him instead?"

Brooke studied Adam with interest. "You're absolutely nothing like your uncle, are you?"

"If they were any more different, they would be different species," Tommy said. "In fact, I'm not entirely convinced they're not."

Brooke and Isaac both tensed at Tommy's outburst, considering the lines it was skirting, but Adam just threw back his head and laughed, putting them both at ease and making Tommy smile, so very grateful beyond words that Adam was allowing them to see this side of him. He knew it would go a long way toward convincing them Tommy was okay and not in danger from him.

Adam dropped back until he was side by side with Tommy and reached over, ruffling Tommy's hair. Tommy squeaked and batted his hand away, glaring when Adam smiled widely at him.

"So," Adam said. "You're in one of your feisty moods, is that it?"

Tommy's glare gave way to a grin. "I am. Going to do something about it?"

Adam kicked his horse into gear and took off, calling over his shoulder, "I'm going to race you around this field and this time I'm going to win!"

"Only because you're a cheat!" Tommy called back, kicking Wild into gear and taking off after Adam, leaving Brooke and Isaac to stare at their backs.

They made it back around in record time, with Tommy nosing ahead just before they reached Brooke and Isaac again. Tommy whooped in victory and Brooke and Isaac laughed. Even Adam was smiling in spite of having lost yet again.

Tommy grinned at Brooke and Isaac and said, "He hasn't been able to beat me yet, even though he cheats worse every time in an attempt to win."

They all settled into a comfortable trot after that, and somehow Adam ended up pulling ahead with Isaac, the two of them discussing something to do with minstrels while Tommy and Brooke dropped back a little, until they were more or less out of earshot.

"So tell me," Brooke said. "Is this real, or an act for my benefit?"

Tommy looked her square in the eye. "It isn't an act. This is how Adam is with me whenever we're around people he trusts not to report back to the king."

Brooke nodded. "I understand what you meant last night, then, and I agree. The problem lies with his uncle, not him. I do not have enough information on his brother, though, to make a judgment there."

"If you will trust my judgment, I can tell you Neil is very much like Adam," Tommy said. "All on his own when Adam wasn't around, Neil gave me leave to talk to and treat him the way I do Adam. He's nothing like their uncle, either."

Brooke nodded again. "This makes everything more difficult, you realize."

Tommy pressed his lips together briefly before answering, "It does, yes."

"Maybe we need a new plan," Brooke mused.

Tommy's gaze flicked toward Brooke, hope leaping in his chest for the first time since he'd realized Adam was someone he didn't want to kill. "Like what?"

Brooke shook her head. "Let me think on it."

"Think fast, and I will too," Tommy said. "I have a feeling Monte won't wait patiently forever, especially once Isaac tells him what exactly my position is in the castle."

Brooke frowned at that. "If only there was a way you could meet with Monte face to face so that you could assuage the misgivings he's sure to have. I suspect it would mean more if he could see you alive and unharmed with his own eyes."

Tommy bit his bottom lip as he thought. Knowing he could find a way around the cuff on his wrist if he had to, he didn't bother mentioning it, instead focusing on the part that would be harder to handle. "Adam insists I sleep in his bed with him and he's usually wrapped around me. I think he'd notice if I were to disappear for a time."

"Is that usual?" Brooke asked. "Pleasure slaves sleeping with their masters? I just assumed they had their own pallet. They did in our kingdom before we abolished slavery."

Tommy shrugged. "I have no idea. This kingdom all but worships sex. My kingdom was much different before we freed the slaves. There, a sex slave was just above the dirt on the other slave's shoes. They didn't even sleep in the same room, let alone bed. Here, I'm at the top of the hierarchy, especially since Adam's the crown prince. My needs and health are seen to before even the guards or other free people.

"Tommy!" Adam called back over his shoulder.

Tommy glanced at Brooke, then trotted ahead to catch up with Adam, asking, "What?"

"Isaac, here, believes he has a mount that could rival yours."

Tommy's eyebrows lifted as he locked gazes with Isaac. Even though Isaac was posing as Brooke's servant, he'd brought his own mount, one he'd raced against Tommy's many times over the years, always losing.

Wondering why he had done such a thing, Tommy played along. "Does he, now? Maybe we should put it to the test."

Isaac grinned. "Maybe we should."

Adam chuckled. "Once around, back to Brooke and I."

Tommy and Isaac nodded and took off. They made it around the field in no time at all, with Tommy easily winning.

Isaac laughed. "I thought maybe Adam was letting you win earlier, but I see your horse races like the wind."

Tommy grinned from ear to ear. "He is one of a kind."

They settled into a comfortable gait after that, with Tommy and Isaac in the lead, Adam and Brooke a ways back. Tommy figured that had been the point.

"So…" Isaac said, trailing off.

Tommy glanced over at him. "Spit it out. You've never been afraid to speak your mind to me before."

"Yes, until last night when you reprimanded me," Isaac said flatly.

Tommy winced. "I'm sorry about that. I was angry and tense about something else and my temper got away from me. I would never actually take you to task for how you speak to me in private. I value the fact that you feel you can be honest with me without consequences. I hope you know that."

Isaac looked over at him and smiled. "I know. I just like hearing you grovel."

Tommy snorted and rolled his eyes. "If we weren't being watched, I'd tackle you off that horse and kick your ass."

They fell silent for a moment, then Isaac cleared his throat and said again, "So, you and Adam. It's become more than you using him to get into the royal wing, hasn't it?"

Tommy tensed but tried not to show it, not wanting Adam to feel the need to intervene. He briefly thought about denying what Isaac was saying, but knew it was pointless. Isaac knew him too well.

"It has," he said simply.

"How is this possibly going to work, then?" Isaac asked.

Tommy sighed. "Truthfully? I don't know. Brooke and I talked and decided we need a new plan. It wouldn't be right to murder Adam and Neil in their sleep, not when they so clearly oppose everything their uncle stands for."

"Monte isn't going to like this," Isaac predicted.

"Don't tell him yet," Tommy said. "If it makes it easier, I'll make that an order."

"It does," Isaac said. "What should I tell David to tell him, then?"

"Tell him that I'm in position and will be waiting for him to give the word, but that once he does, he needs to wait until he gets word back from me before attacking."

"Okay," Isaac said. "You have at least the next week, at any rate. Brooke's reinforcements won't be here before then."

Tommy nodded. "Noted. And thank you."

Isaac looked over at him. "For what?"

"For trusting my judgment and following my lead on this."

Isaac smiled warmly at him. "Of course. I've known you most of my life, my friend. I've yet to see your gut steer you wrong." The smile dropped from his face and he looked at Tommy seriously. "You know, though, this thing between you and Adam isn't going to end well. Not with all the lies between you."

Tommy bit his bottom lip, then sighed. "I'll just have to hope that when all is said and done, he can forgive me and understand that my commitment to my kingdom had to supersede my agreement with him."

"Your agreement? You mean the Master/slave contract?"

Tommy shook his head. "No. Later, he ordered me to always be honest with him in everything so that he wouldn't have to worry I was going along with something I didn't want to do just to keep from being punished. I agreed to it."

"I have to admit, I judged him unfairly when I first saw him."

Tommy shrugged. "You couldn't be expected to judge him any other way given what you witnessed upon arriving here. But that was Adam putting on an act for King Gregory. Out here, right now? This is the real Adam."

Remembering what he was going to be expected to do at the end of the week, Tommy shifted in his seat, pain flaring through his bruised backside in response. Using the pain to focus him, Tommy said, "There is something you and Brooke need to know."

"What's that?" Isaac asked.

"Yes, Tommy, what is it?" Adam asked, nearly making Tommy jump out of his seat.

"Adam. I didn't hear you ride up," Tommy said.

Adam grinned. "That was the point. You're cute when you're startled."

Tommy rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips. "Please."

"Well?" Adam asked, horse falling into step on Tommy's other side, Brooke falling into step next to Isaac.

Deciding there was no reason Adam couldn't hear what he was about to say, Tommy said, "I thought to warn them about their send off feast, given how they and their kingdom feel about slavery, sexual especially."

"Ah," Adam said, nodding his head. "You're probably right."

Looking over at Isaac and Brooke, Tommy said, "I want you both to hear from me that no matter what it appears, I've consented to what will happen that night."

"What's to happen?" Brooke asked, sounding wary.

"My uncle has demanded a … performance of sorts from Tommy and I," Adam said.

Isaac frowned. "Performance? Dance or song?"

Tommy pressed his lips together and shook his head. "In King Gregory's never-ending quest to break and humiliate me in the extreme, he has decided that now that Adam has 'brought me to heel,' as it were, he should prove it by making me perform a sex act at the feast."

"You're not serious," Brooke said, sounding truly scandalized.

"I'm afraid we are," Adam said grimly.

Tommy nodded. "Vox isn't like Tousma or Solvo. Sex is shared publicly here. Every feast I've attended so far has devolved into public sex. It's apparently as common as alcohol consumption and boastful war stories."

"My uncle knows Tousma didn't treat sex in such a manner," Adam interjected, "and therefore knows it will humiliate Tommy in the extreme, and possibly cause him to rebel. I do believe, in fact, that he's hoping for just that outcome so he can have Tommy beheaded and me removed as the heir apparent, based on the argument that if I can't control my own slave, what chance do I have in running an entire kingdom."

All of them fell silent for a moment, then Brooke asked, "Why are you telling me all this, if I may ask. You have no reason to trust I won't go running back to your uncle with it."

"I have my gut," Adam said, "and it's rarely steered me wrong in life. Besides, it's obvious Tommy feels comfortable around both of you, and I've found he's as good a judge of character as I am."

In that moment, Tommy felt like the lowest of the low. He knew he had no choice, but that didn't change how wrong it felt to keep Adam in the dark like he was.

Brooke nodded. "I appreciate the trust. And thank you for the warning. I think maybe we will skip the festivities."

Adam shook his head. "I would not recommend that. It's your send-off. It would be a slap in the face to the crown, and more than a little suspicious if you were not there."

"Then we will leave when the public sex begins," Brooke amended. "Surely he cannot expect us to stay for that, given my kingdom's stance on slavery, not to mention that public sex is very much not a part of our way of life."

Adam nodded. "That shouldn't be suspicious, no. He will be disappointed that he can't further Tommy's humiliation by having you watch, but I don't think he'll raise too much of a fuss about it. Just remain firm and make sure my uncle understands that if he pushes, he will gain your ire. He very much wants this treaty with you."

Brooke nodded. "Very well. Thank you for the advice."

  


Tommy moaned brokenly, face pressed against the inside of his elbow, hands tied to the bed posts, legs spread and tied to the posts at the opposite end of the bed. He was completely at Adam's mercy and he was well and thoroughly lost, pleasure and pain blurring together, melding into one inside and around him.

Somewhere around orgasm number two he'd started floating and he hadn't touched down to earth since. If this was his reward for being oiled, stretched and on his knees for Adam's return to chambers, Tommy was going to do it every night, even after he'd fulfilled the terms of the bet.

Adam's hands and lips and teeth were everywhere at once, caressing and pinching, licking and biting, occasionally smacking his bruised ass, sending bolts of electricity shooting through him to his cock, which was too spent to respond, although it was trying valiantly.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Sutan walked in. "You sent for me?"

Tommy tensed, but remembered the deal he'd made with Adam, that he wouldn't put up a fuss about Sutan watching and would in fact, participate enthusiastically.

"Yes," Adam answered. "If you wouldn't mind, Tommy needs to adjust to having an audience. The king has demanded a performance at the end of the week, so—"

"So you thought it might help to ease him into it a bit," Sutan finished.

"Yes," Adam said.

Tommy turned his head slightly and met Sutan's eyes. Butterflies danced in his stomach, but he remembered how it had turned him on, having Taylor—who didn't even care for men in that way—watch. He could only imagine how much more it would turn him on having a man who enjoyed other men watch.

Sutan stared at him for a minute, looking for something in his gaze. He must have found it because he nodded and smirked. "I wouldn't mind at all. In fact, I do believe this will be the highlight of my day. Week, even."

Adam laughed and Tommy smiled shyly, face heating. It wasn't the first time Sutan had alluded to finding Tommy desirable, but for some reason, Tommy still never expected it.

A sharp smack to his tender ass, followed by a bite to the same stinging flesh, had Tommy pushing his face into the crook of his elbow again and moaning like a bitch in heat. Adam pried his cheeks apart and Tommy started panting, pushing back into Adam's hands in spite of the fact that his hole was sore from being fucked just moments before. He didn't even care that Sutan was sitting right there watching his wanton behavior. He wanted to feel Adam inside him again. Wanted it more than anything.

What he got instead was Adam's tongue licking at his pucker. Tommy sucked in a sharp breath, only to release it on a whimper as Adam blew on the spot he'd licked, cooling Tommy's tender flesh.

"You like that?" Adam asked, voice husky.

" _Gods, yes,_ " Tommy said breathlessly.

Sutan laughed lightly and said to Adam, "He's lost in it, isn't he?"

"Hmm," Tommy sighed. "Lost in what?"

"The pleasure … and the pain," Adam said, then licked again.

Tommy just moaned and lifted his ass to Adam's mouth, begging with his body for more.

Adam gave it to him, first massaging Tommy's asshole with his tongue and blowing on the wetness, then licking inside, making Tommy pant and twist on the bed. He was so over sensitized from the orgasms he'd already received—one through fucking, the other at Adam's hand—that it was _toomuch_ , but _sogood_ at the same time and his body couldn't decide whether to try to get away or push up for more.

"Please," he finally begged, pulling a little at his restraints.

"Please what?" Adam asked, an evil note in his voice that told Tommy he wasn't going to make it easy on him. "Please stop, or please more?"

Tommy whimpered, turning his face toward the mattress and pressing into it. Voice muffled, he said, "Don't know."

"Then I shall leave it up to Sutan. Sutan, should I take pity on him, or force him to take more pleasure? He's already come twice this evening."

"Mmm," Sutan said.

Tommy opened his eyes and stared at him, finding Sutan slouched down in his seat already, legs spread and one hand resting high on his thigh, just below the bulge in his trousers.

"I think you should force more pleasure on him. See how much he can take."

Tommy's breath caught in his throat and his heartbeat sped up. Suddenly he felt as if this were a threesome rather than a twosome with an observer even though Sutan hadn't moved an inch or touched him. He found he wasn't opposed to the idea. He liked Sutan and Sutan wasn't hard on the eyes at all.

Before Tommy could even think to protest Sutan's decision, Adam said, "Very well," and sank his tongue back into Tommy's clenching asshole.

Tommy cried out, hands fisting in his bindings as first one finger, then another joined Adam's tongue, prying him open so Adam could get deeper. Tommy shoved his face in the mattress again and jerked on his bindings, trying to get his legs under him so he could kneel up and really open himself up to Adam's questing tongue. The bindings had him spread too wide, though, had his legs stretched too far apart to be able to do much more than twitch and twist a little. He received another smack to his backside for his efforts.

"Lie still," Adam said, then sank his tongue back inside him.

"I-I can't," Tommy panted, trying valiantly to do just that.

Adam pulled his tongue out again and said, "You can and you will, or you won't come for a week."

Tommy grunted in frustration, but tried to obey anyway.

"He's gorgeous like this," Sutan said, rather breathlessly. "All stretched out and obedient. I'm quite jealous."

Tommy looked at Sutan and blushed clear to his roots at the naked desire in his eyes.

Adam pulled his mouth away from Tommy's ass, working two fingers in to massage that spot in Tommy that drove him insane. Still over sensitized, it was almost more painful than pleasurable and he started to whimper. He had to tense every muscle in his body to keep from trying to pull away.

"He really is, isn't he?" Adam said, thrusting his fingers in and out relentlessly. Nipping lightly at one ass cheek, Adam asked against Tommy's skin, "Too much yet?"

"Yes," Tommy ground out between clenched teeth.

"What do you think, Sutan?" Adam asked. "Think he can take more? Maybe take my cock again?"

Tommy groaned at the mere idea, both turned on and sure it would kill him at the same time. "Please, Sutan," he found himself begging. " 'S too much."

Sutan stared steadily at him, heat in his eyes. "But I so want to watch him fuck you."

Tommy gasped, hips twitching and cock miraculously starting to fill, both at the continued stimulation to his ass and—amazingly—because of Sutan's words. He was surprised to find he very much wanted that too.

Pushing up and over him, Adam braced himself with one hand on the bed next to Tommy's armpit, and leaned down, nipping at his ear. While he fucked Tommy with his fingers, he nipped at Tommy's ear, just above his sex slave piercing, and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to try to take it just one more time? Give Sutan a show he won't soon forget?"

Tommy swallowed a groan and made his decision. "Do it. Fuck me. Please, Adam. Want it."

Adam nipped at his ear again and whispered huskily, "Good boy," before backing off and kneeling up between Tommy's legs.

Tommy shivered at the praise from Adam and the pleased look in Sutan's eyes. Oil dribbled down along the crack of Tommy's ass a moment later, and then Adam's fingers were back, three that time, twisting and thrusting and Tommy couldn't take it. He started to writhe in his bonds, thankful Adam had used the soft leather cuffs on him instead of the manacles, knowing his wrists and ankles would have been raw in no time, otherwise. Instead, it was just frustrating, because Adam had his limbs pulled so tight he could barely move.

"Please," he panted.

"My, you're a demanding slave tonight, aren't you?" Adam said, rubbing over that magic spot inside Tommy and making him cry out. "What is it you want, now?"

"Want to move," Tommy said, yanking on his cuffs, willing them to let go.

"No," Adam said. "I like you completely at my mercy. I could fuck you for hours like this and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

Tommy whimpered, panting hard, and admitted, "You could anyway. I wouldn't stop you."

Adam's fingers stilled inside him and Tommy heard him suck in a sharp breath. Tommy tensed, thinking he'd said something wrong, but unable to figure out what it was.

Suddenly, Adam was leaning over him, key in the locks of the cuffs, first his wrists, then his ankles.

"Turn over," Adam said gruffly.

Tommy immediately flipped on his back, heart pounding much too hard in his chest. He stared up at Adam but Adam's expression was unreadable as he ordered Tommy's hands above his head again. Once Adam had Tommy's wrists bound once more, Tommy spread his legs, expecting to be locked down by those, too, but instead Adam bent them up to Tommy's chest and without any more preamble, he slid into Tommy's well-stretched hole.

Tommy cried out, neck arching, back coming up off the bed too, even as his head pressed back into the mattress and his mouth opened on a loud moan of pleasure pain. It was heaven and hell all at once and Tommy wasn't sure whether the noises he made as Adam started to thrust into him fast and hard were meant to beg for mercy or encourage Adam to take him harder yet.

Next to the bed, Sutan said in an awed voice, "My gods. The two of you are just … breathtaking."

Tommy rolled his head to the side, and between grunts as Adam fucked his ass relentlessly, Tommy licked his lips and said, "You can touch yourself. I don't mind."

Sutan's eyes met Tommy's, even as his hand flew to his groin and squeezed. A moment later, he had his tunic up and his pants down, hand fisting his erection.

Tommy moaned.

"Like what you see?" Adam asked between thrusts. "Or you like that he's getting off on watching you?"

Tommy looked up at Adam, who was staring down at him intently, even as his thrusts sent Tommy sliding up the mattress.

Bracing himself against the headboard to keep his head from ramming into it, Tommy admitted, "Both."

Adam's smile was pure predator. "Maybe next time I'll let him join in, then. Would you like that, Tommy? Do you want me to share you with him?"

Tommy jackknifed off the bed and screamed as his orgasm took him by surprise. It was both ecstasy and torment at once, dry as it was, his come already having been milked from him by his other climaxes.

Adam dropped down to his elbows, pushing Tommy back down on the bed with his own body and folding Tommy in two in the process.

Faces inches apart now, Adam smirked and said, "I'll take that as a yes," an instant before he started pounding into Tommy so hard Tommy thought he might split in two. Half a dozen thrusts later, Adam froze and cried out, dick pulsing deep in Tommy's ass, warmth flooding Tommy's passage. Tommy shivered at the feel of it.

Next to the bed, Tommy heard a gasp, then a drawn out groan. Looking over, he was just in time to see come shoot out from Sutan's dick and cover his fist and stomach.

For long moments afterwards, all three of them were still and quiet as they caught their breath. Eventually, Adam lifted his head from where he'd let it drop on Tommy's shoulder and kissed the side of Tommy's neck.

Tommy jerked away and gasped. "Please, no more. T-too sensitive."

"So you don't want me to move at all, then? Not even to pull out?"

Tommy shook his head. "No. Please. Just stay like this a few minutes?"

Adam chuckled and nosed at Tommy's ear, making Tommy try to turn away. "Okay, okay," Adam said, pulling his face back but otherwise keeping his body still. "I'll be still."

"Thank you," Tommy said gratefully.

Sutan finally shifted, looking around, undoubtedly for something to wipe his hand on. Adam took pity on him and told him where a cloth was. After Sutan was cleaned up and tucked away, he hovered next to the bed and asked Adam, "May I?"

Adam looked at him and nodded, and the next thing Tommy knew, Sutan's lips were closing over his. Tommy grunted in surprise, but let Sutan's tongue in when it pressed for entrance. Sutan controlled the kiss, and when it was over, his placed another one on the tip of Tommy's nose, then backed up a little to look in Tommy's eyes as he said, "It was amazing watching you get lost in the pleasure and pain that way. Thank you."

Tommy's face heated and he tried to hide behind his fringe, but between laying on his back and the fact that he was so sweaty his fringe was sticking a little to his skin, he couldn't.

After Sutan left, Adam leaned down and licked inside Tommy's mouth, the kiss possessive. Tommy got the distinct impression he was trying to obliterate Sutan's kiss, and shivered, finding he rather liked Adam being so territorial.

Afterwards, Adam pulled back and Tommy licked his lips. "Are you really going to let him fuck me next time?"

"Would you want that?" Adam asked.

Tommy bit his bottom lip, thinking it over. "I think I would enjoy it, yes."

Adam grinned. "I think I would, too. I know I will very much enjoy fucking every trace of him from your body afterwards, also."

Tommy shuddered and groaned, feeling Adam's softened dick slip from him finally, come oozing out along with it. Ignoring that, Tommy said, "Stop talking like that. I swear, any more stimulation and I will surely die from it."

Adam chuckled as he reached for Tommy's wrists, releasing them. Tommy let them fall lax to the bed, elbows bent. He longed to wrap his arms around Adam but they were too sore and weak from pulling and straining against his bonds.

Adam leaned on first one elbow, then the other, taking turns massaging up and down Tommy's arms until Tommy moaned in relief as muscles uncramped and relaxed, some of the soreness melting away.

"Thank you," he said afterwards.

Adam skimmed his knuckles over Tommy's cheek and said, "My pleasure. Thank you for keeping to our agreement and letting yourself go in front of Sutan."

Tommy smiled and pushed his face into Adam's hand in response, eyelids drooping as bone deep exhaustion from three orgasms in such a short time finally caught up with him.

Adam climbed up off him, cleaned them both up, then grabbed the other cuff and chain from the floor, the one Tommy had to wear every night upon the king's orders.

Extending his arm without having to be asked, Tommy waited while Adam locked him in, then turned on his side, yawning. "So tired," he mumbled.

Adam walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Snaking an arm around Tommy's waist, Adam pulled him back against him and kissed the side of his neck, murmuring, "The key's under my pillow."

In spite of Tommy's bone deep exhaustion, his eyes flew open and he turned his head to look back at Adam. "What?"

"You heard me," Adam said. "The key's under my pillow."

"But—"

"My uncle said I had to keep you cuffed at night," Adam interrupted. "He did not say I had to keep the key out of reach."

Tommy stared up at him, biting his bottom lip. "Why?"

Adam was silent for a moment, then said, "Because your slavery does not sit well with me. I want you to have … options."

Tommy lay tense for a long moment, barely breathing as he contemplated Adam's words and the implication there. "You're giving me the choice to run."

"I am," Adam said quietly, his blue eyes steady on Tommy.

"Do you want me to run?" Tommy blurted, unsure why he'd asked that.

Adam's arm tightened around him. "I… No. I like you right here. You fit perfectly against me. Don't you feel that? How we fit? How we just … make sense together?"

Tommy exhaled, relaxing a little. "You want me to choose to stay."

Adam reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of Tommy's face. "Every day that I wake up and you're still here in my arms will be a good day."

Overcome by emotion, Tommy turned away again and pressed back against Adam. Adam's arm dropped to his stomach and Tommy slipped his hand over Adam's where it was splayed over his bare skin.

Palm sliding over the back of Adam's hand, Tommy laced their fingers together and said, "Thank you. I… Thank you."

Adam kissed the side of his neck and tightened his arm around Tommy, whispering against Tommy's ear, "I love you, Thomas Ratliff." Tommy tensed. "Shh," Adam soothed, thumb starting to rub circles over Tommy's stomach. "You don't need to say anything. I just needed you to know."

Tommy nodded, too choked up and too guilt ridden to say anything at that point anyway. At the same time, a swell of warmth filled him and he tightened his hold on Adam's hand, coming to the sudden realization that he loved Adam, too. It was with that thought still floating around in his head that he let sleep drag him under.

  


Tommy jerked awake with a start, and found himself blinking into the shadows of the room, breath caught in his throat. He'd been trapped in a nightmare where Adam found out his secret and rejected him, hate and betrayal shining in his eyes as he dragged Tommy to the dungeon and tossed him in, telling him he never wanted to set eyes on him again.

It took Tommy a moment to realize it wasn't real, that his secret was still as safe as he was at that moment, wrapped up in Adam's arms, cuddled warm and loved under mountains of blankets.

Loved.

Tommy's heart started to hammer in his chest as he remembered what Adam had said to him as he drifted off to sleep. Adam had told him he loved him, and Tommy … well, he hadn't said it back, but he'd felt it just the same.

He loved Adam.

With that acknowledgement, came gut-wrenching guilt of a variety Tommy had never felt before. It physically hurt and he curled in on himself a little, gasping with the force of it. Behind him, Adam pressed closer in sleep, nuzzling at the back of Tommy's neck while his arm tightened around Tommy's waist.

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the moment to pass, but all it did was settle into his bones, rendering him sick to his stomach and weary of the battle he was fighting between his heart and his responsibility to his kingdom. Gradually, he realized he couldn't do it anymore. With that realization, a surprising calm washed over him and he made a decision, one he hoped wouldn't damn him to hell.

As quietly and as carefully as he could, he extracted himself from Adam's arms, trying to keep the movements of his chained wrist to a minimum so that the noise wouldn't wake Adam. Finally, Tommy managed it and stood beside the bed, naked. He stared down at Adam's sleeping form, realizing that it would most likely be the last time he was allowed to do so.


	11. Chapter 11

Adam woke slowly, feeling eyes on him. He blinked open his own and startled a little as he realized it was still the middle of the night and Tommy was sitting naked in the chair Sutan had pulled over earlier in the evening, just staring at him.

"Tommy?"

Tommy's throat worked as he swallowed hard, a scared but determined look on his face. He tried for a smile and failed miserably.

"I've been sitting here waiting for you to wake up, trying to find a way to say what I need to say to you. I haven't figured it out just yet."

Adam arched an eyebrow. "Would you like me to go back to sleep?"

Tommy smiled sadly at him. "Would you?"

Adam pushed up onto his elbow and shook his head slowly. "I don't think I could if I tried. The look on your face worries me. What is it?"

Tommy took a deep breath and ran his cuffed hand through his hair, the chain attached to it rattling loudly in the night air. "First, I need to know something."

"Okay," Adam said, waiting for Tommy to go on.

Tommy held his gaze and asked, "Did you mean it? You love me?"

Adam swallowed, sensing his answer mattered more than he could even imagine. "Yes. I've felt that way for a while now."

Tommy exhaled and stood. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to Adam's lips, then backed off and sat down again. "I love you, too. No matter what, always remember that, please?"

Adam nodded, heart swelling even as his trepidation grew. "I will."

Tommy nodded in return. "Good." He fell silent for a moment, biting at his bottom lip, before finally saying, "There's no easy way to say this."

"Say what?" Adam asked, wanting nothing more than to exert his authority and make Tommy spit it out already.

He sensed, though, that to try right then would be a mistake. He wasn't facing slave Tommy, despite the fact that Tommy was naked with his leather collar locked around his neck and his wrist chained to a bolt in the floor beside the bed. This was Tommy, the man groomed to be king. Adam would have recognized the difference even without the other night where he'd let Tommy take charge. He could see the difference in the way Tommy held himself, the tone in his voice, and the expression on his face.

Tommy took a deep breath and said, "I've been lying to you this entire time, and if you choose to punish me for it, I won't fight you. We did have an agreement. Please just hear me out first, though."

Adam stared hard at him and Tommy met his stare head on. Eventually, Adam nodded and asked, "Lying about what?"

Tommy sat back in the chair, hands gripping his knees, the tips of his fingers white in the dying light from the embers in the fireplace. "I've only been biding my time, pretending to accept my lot as a slave of Vox. In truth and in my heart, I'm still a king and Tousma has not technically fallen. We just went … into hiding."

Adam's eyes widened, sure for a moment that Tommy was going to tell him it was all joke, but Tommy didn't. His expression didn't waver in the slightest. He was telling him the truth.

"But … what?"

"The plan was set in motion before I even surrendered to you. It wasn't a true surrender. It was a tactic to throw you off so I could infiltrate your castle. Subterfuge, I guess you could call it. Much like what your kingdom visited on us on that battle field, hiding as you did until we were engaged with the mercenaries you hired and it was too late to wait for reinforcements."

Adam sat up finally, the shock wearing off enough to let the anger in. "So you surrendered, but yet not, is that what you'd have me believe?"

"It's the truth," Tommy said, not backing down from the glare Adam was leveling at him.

Adam didn't even know where to begin. "You do realize that just because you wish something to be so, doesn't actually make it so, right? You can say all you want that you're still a king and your kingdom still exists, but at the end of the day, you have the collar around your neck and the pleasure slave piercing to prove otherwise, not to mention the fact that you have no army, no subjects. They've all pledged their loyalty to Vox's crown, and the ones that didn't were run out of the kingdom."

His words didn't come from a place of deep desire for Tommy's slavery or the destruction of his kingdom, but from a place of betrayal as he realized how much Tommy would have had to lie to him to keep the secret despite vowing to always be honest with him.

"I am not an idiot, no," Tommy snapped. He paused and collected himself, then said in a calm voice, "And I do still have an army. They are assembling as we speak, outside the boundaries of your guards' patrol. I have help, also, another kingdom that's thrown their lot in with us and is lending us their aide. Together, we outnumber you three to two."

Adam just blinked, wondering if it was possible he'd banged Tommy's head off the headboard one of the times they'd fucked that night and he was delirious. Without a word, he started to get up.

"Where are you going?" Tommy asked.

"I'm going to have the guard fetch Sutan. You must be ill, or maybe you bumped your head. I was rough with you tonight. Obviously too rough."

Tommy shook his head sadly. "You were not. Tonight was amazing, and I did not bump my head. I'm telling you the truth."

Tommy grew quiet then and Adam sat back down on the bed. "Your slavery is official. We sent a messenger to the sovereign, declaring our victory over Tousma. She sent him back with the decree that it was so, that Vox now ruled all lands previously under Tousma's control and that you were legally a spoil of war. If you kill anyone, your life will be forfeit."

Tommy met Adam's gaze and said, "The messenger lied. The sovereign knows nothing of the battle except rumors. Monte intercepted your messenger and promised him a place at court once we overthrow Vox, along with freedom for his children, whom King Gregory so thoughtfully enslaved after he took too long returning the last time he was sent to deliver a message to the sovereign."

Adam took a moment to absorb all that and what it meant, including the fact that it meant Tommy wasn't actually his and had just been playing a role with him, just like he had with everyone else. That hurt on a level Adam hadn't expected, despite his own feelings on slavery.

"Monte isn't dead," Adam said, choosing to focus on that for the moment. At least he hadn't been blindsided by that. He'd suspected it all along.

"No, he's not," Tommy admitted. "He's chieftain of Tousma. He brokered the deal with the kingdom helping us and gathered all the knights he could get his hands on since my supposed enslavement."

Adam nodded. "I thought as much … that he was still alive, I mean, not the rest."

Tommy's eyes widened. "You did? But why—"

"Because I don't agree with the custom of killing off the royal family of a surrendering kingdom."

"Oh," Tommy said, absorbing that. He sighed and looked away as he ran a hand through his hair, biting his bottom lip.

Sensing there was more, Adam asked quietly, "What else?"

"You haven't asked what the plan was," Tommy said, meeting Adam's gaze again.

Dread settled in Adam's gut like a cold weight. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but found himself asking anyway, "What was the plan, King Thomas?"

Tommy blinked at the formal address, but didn't comment on it. "In a few nights time, when Monte gets the message to me that everything's ready, I'm supposed to murder you and the entire royal family—save Jeni and her child—in their sleep. In the ensuing chaos, Monte and the army he's put together are supposed to attack Erus and take control of it, so that I can reclaim my throne and take over Vox." Holding up the key Adam had placed under his pillow that night, Tommy continued, "And tonight, you gave me the opportunity I'd been waiting for."

Adam had about a second to realize how incredibly stupid he'd been to trust a king forced into slavery before Tommy blindsided him again by placing the key on the mattress near Adam.

"What—"

Tommy lifted his hand up as high as he could, pulling the chain taut to prove that he was still locked up. "I realized tonight that I can't do it. I can't kill you or your brother, or take his and Jeni's children's birthright away from them." Tommy fell silent for a moment, eyes lowering as he admitted quietly, "In truth, I think I've known for a while now that I wouldn't be able to do it. I just couldn't admit it to myself until tonight." Tommy looked up at Adam from under his fringe. "You changed everything for me."

"So you expect me to believe that you're abandoning your plans and your kingdom for me?" Adam asked skeptically.

Tommy shook his head. "No. I'm saying I'm going to find another way, one that doesn't mean yours or your brother's deaths."

Anger bubbling to the surface now that Adam had a little time to process what Tommy's had just told him, Adam said, "I could chain you up in this room and never let you out, never let you speak to anyone but me. It'd be pretty hard to reclaim your throne then, wouldn't it?"

Tommy nodded, expression resigned. "You could."

"But you don't think I will," Adam countered, finding himself both irritated by that and floored at the trust Tommy was seemingly placing in his hands.

Tommy stared at him for a long moment before saying, "I think you need time to decide what you want to do with what I've told you, and what you want to do with me." Tommy took a deep breath and continued, "I didn't lie when I told you I loved you, and I didn't lie when I knelt before you in these chambers and gave myself to you. I could have easily backed out many times before that point. You gave me the chance to repeatedly." Emotion flooding Tommy's eyes, he held Adam's gaze and said with conviction, "Every time, I chose _you_."

Swallowing against the lump creeping up his throat, Adam forced himself to ask, "How do I know that wasn't just an elaborate part of your scheme?"

Tommy leaned forward and reached for something under Adam's mattress. He pulled out a long dagger and placed it on the bed next to the key. "I stole it from one of the knights when I was a kitchen slave. He took his clothing off to fuck a servant at one of your many feasts and while he was distracted, I swiped it and hid it down one of the corridors. I didn't have time to grab it the day I was caught stealing bread for Jeffrey, so it stayed hidden until I was brought back into the castle to be your sex slave. I've had it here nearly the whole time I've been in your bed. Even before you gave me the key, I could have slit your throat and cut my way out of the leather cuff at any time."

Adam stood and walked over to the fireplace. He stared into the dying embers, leaving the key to Tommy's cuffs and the dagger on the bed, within Tommy's reach. He gave his back to Tommy, practically daring Tommy to use them, but long minutes passed and all that could be heard was the sound of them breathing. Tommy didn't make a move.

Over his shoulder, Adam asked, "The other kingdom involved is Solvo, isn't it? That's why Queen Brooke's here."

He could hear Tommy exhale, before he said, "Until I know what you plan to do with me and what I told you, I can't answer that. I won't take anyone else down with me if I've misjudged you."

Adam whipped around, "You mean like I misjudged you?"

Tommy tensed, rising to his feet. "You didn't misjudge me, not in any way that counts." He started for Adam but stopped short when he ran out of chain. He cursed under his breath and gave it a tug. "Please."

Adam crossed his arms. "The key's within your reach."

Tommy studied him. "I have your permission?"

Adam's eyes narrowed. "You're a king. You don't need my permission for anything."

Tommy glared right back. "I told you, already. I meant what I said when I gave myself to you that night. It wasn't a lie."

Adam ran a hand through his long hair and huffed in frustration. "This whole situation is insane. You came here to kill me, yet you give yourself to me night after night. You plan to take my kingdom from me, yet you claim to love me."

Tommy smiled sadly at him. "All things I've been saying to myself."

"Are you any closer to understanding?" Adam asked, truly curious.

Tommy shook his head. "Not at all."

Adam wanted to believe him, he really did, but Tommy had been so good at lying to him all along that Adam couldn't trust the instinct telling him Tommy was being honest with him now.

Anger flaring up at that realization, Adam crossed to Tommy, stopping inches away. He very pointedly didn't uncuff Tommy. "I wish I could trust what you're telling me now, and I wish I could forgive you for it."

"But you can't," Tommy said, dropping his eyes and looking the picture of a remorseful slave.

It messed with Adam's head. He wondered if it was deliberate, and wanted to hit something. Earlier that very evening he wouldn't have doubted Tommy's sincerity for a second.

Earlier that evening, he'd been a fool.

"I'm angry," Adam admitted through clenched teeth, realizing as he said it just how furious he actually was. "Angry enough that I'm afraid of what I'll do to you if I lay even one hand on you right now."

Tommy tensed, but otherwise remained still, gaze downcast.

"Stop it," Adam hissed, backing up a step.

Tommy's gaze lifted to his, forehead furrowed. "Stop what?"

"Stop looking dejected and remorseful and like any of this actually matters. Stop pretending what's between us is real and you actually care."

Adam had to steal himself against the way Tommy's eyes reflected the moisture gathering in them in the light of the bedside candle. "I can't change how I feel. Whatever else, _this_ feels real to me. It _is_ real."

Adam growled in frustration and turned away. He crossed to the chest next to his wardrobe and flipped the lid open, taking out the pallet he'd been given by one of the servants when he'd taken Tommy as his sex slave. Never having intended to use it, he'd had Taylor pack it away. He crossed back to Tommy and tossed it at him.

Needlessly, since he could tell by the hurt in Tommy's eyes that Tommy knew already, Adam said, "Spread it out and lay down. I don't want you in my bed any longer."

"Adam, please," Tommy said, just above a whisper.

Teeth clenched, Adam reached out and grabbed Tommy by the neck, the leather collar under his hand mocking him. Tommy didn't move a muscle, just stood there in Adam's hold, meeting Adam's furious gaze head on.

"You are no longer allowed to address me informally. You want to play at being my sex slave, you'll behave as every other sex slave in the kingdom does."

Anger flashed through Tommy's eyes, quickly followed up by resignation. Dropping his gaze as much as he could with his neck held in Adam's grasp as it was, Tommy said, "Yes, My Lord."

Adam released him, heart pounding at what he could have done to Tommy just then, what it was obvious by Tommy's reaction that he would have allowed, and stepped back. He watched while Tommy did as he was told, hesitating only the briefest of moments before he laid down on the rolled out pallet without benefit of a blanket. Silently, Tommy turned on his side, pillowed his head on his hands, and closed his eyes.

Adam stood there staring at him for a long time, but Tommy didn't move at all. The only thing that gave away that he was still awake was the way his bottom lip trembled until he pulled it between his teeth and bit down on it to stop it, and the occasional shiver due to the chilly night air.

Feeling like his heart had been lanced straight through, Adam finally rounded the bed and climbed in on the other side. He paused to stare at the dagger and key still sitting there on the mattress, then clenched his jaw and scooped them up, depositing them on his nightstand opposite the side Tommy lay on, out of Tommy's reach.

And if he kicked off one of his covers a short time later and it slid off the bed and down on top of Tommy, it was only because he was too hot despite the cool temperature of the room, not for any other reason.

Tommy woke to find his leather collar gone, along with Adam. He was surprised how much he missed the former but not at all surprised how much his heart ached for the latter.

Taylor moved around the chambers, getting a tub of hot water ready.

Tommy pushed up on one arm, groaning as his body protested from lying on the poor cushioning of the pallet all night.

Taylor looked over at him and said, "You're awake."

"Yeah," Tommy said, running a hand through his hair and realizing belatedly that he was still cuffed.

So Adam had removed his leather collar but not his cuff. That was a clear message if Tommy had ever seen one.

Taylor walked over and bent to unlock Tommy's cuff, saying, "I've been told you're not allowed to call Adam by name anymore, or me either."

Tommy's jaw tightened. He should have expected that. "Yes, sir."

Taylor looked up, his eyes meeting Tommy's. "I can only imagine what you did that would so thoroughly anger him."

Tommy's eyes burned as he looked away, mumbling, "Whatever you've imagined, it's probably worse."

"Want to talk about it?" Taylor asked.

Tommy bit his bottom lip and shook his head.

Taylor sighed, standing back up. "My orders are to make sure you eat all of your breakfast and take a bath afterwards."

Tommy sat up and leaned back against the side of the bed, fingering the blanket next to him. He'd felt it drop on top of him last night, but hadn't dared to thank Adam for it.

"I'm not hungry right now," Tommy said. "And I'd prefer my bath in the afternoon, like usual."

"Your master was clear," Taylor said, looking extremely uncomfortable, but not uncomfortable enough to defy Adam. "He said you were to eat and bathe even if I had to bring in help to force you."

Tommy tensed, wondering if Adam was doing this just to be a jerk, or if there was something else going on that Tommy didn't know about. Sighing, he pushed to his feet and started for the table. At least Adam had left his cushion in place.

An hour later he was fed and bathed, sitting on his cushioned chair while Taylor combed through his hair.

"You've hardly said two words," Taylor commented. "Are things really that bad?"

Tommy sniffed, unable to believe he was letting his emotions get the best of him. With a slight waver in his voice, he said quietly, "Yes. They're really that bad. I'm surprised he let you uncuff me, to be honest."

Moments later, Adam walked in and stopped near the entry, giving Tommy the once over. Looking at Taylor, Adam said, "You may go."

Taylor nodded and hurried out.

After the door shut behind him, Adam walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a set of see-through garments, along with opaque underpants.

"Put these on," he said, tossing them on the table in front of Tommy.

Tommy swallowed. This was worse than he'd even thought. The look in Adam's eyes was cold. Tommy had never seen him like this before, not even when Adam had confronted him in the guards' shelter out in the breaking yard.

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, hurrying to pull them on.

After he was through, Adam looked him up and down, then stepped closer. Tommy's stomach fluttered at his nearness, but the flatness of Adam's voice when he spoke made Tommy's spirits sink. "Present your neck."

Tommy tipped his head back, chin up, and waited while Adam secured the diamond collar around his neck. Instead of it making him feel like it usually did, like he belonged to Adam, it felt like a noose.

Forcing back a flash of panic at the thought, Tommy held out his hands next, waiting while Adam adorned them with the diamond slave bracelets.

Afterwards, Adam met his gaze and said, "You will kneel at my feet today while I see to kingdom business."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said.

"And if I pull you down a side corridor to make use of your mouth at any point, as is expected of any worthwhile sex slave, you will not so much as protest, or I will make the next week you'll spend confined to quarters very unpleasant, understand?"

Tommy's heart stuttered in his chest. "Yes, My Lord."

It was a long day Tommy spent at Adam's feet, listening to the problems of the kingdom and King Gregory's wildly inappropriate and highly unjust punishments for what amounted to mere slights. Tommy wasn't sure how Adam listened to this day in and day out and didn't lose his mind. Tommy would have run the king through with a sword by now if it had been him. That thought, in turn, made him wonder just how much of what King Gregory had done to Adam when he was sixteen Adam was still carrying around with him, letting it control him, making him think King Gregory was more powerful than he was.

After suffering through an embarrassing dinner spent on his knees, at the end of which Adam gave him table scraps instead of the usual foods King Gregory thought he hated, Tommy was finally dismissed and sent back to chambers.

Just as Tommy turned the corridor to Adam's chambers, Isaac caught up with him.

"Hey, Tommy. What's going on? Something seems … different between you and Adam today."

Tommy opened his mouth to speak, but just then, Adam rounded the corner. "Thomas, I told you to return to chambers, not dally in the corridor. Do it."

Tommy's mouth snapped shut, his jaw clenching at being scolded in front of Isaac. Refusing to look Isaac's way, Tommy nodded and said, "Yes, My Lord," before turning and heading for the door to Adam's rooms.

Once he was inside, he leaned back against the door for a moment and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to stave off his emotions. He had no idea how he was going to explain this to Isaac, or to Brooke. If Adam kept as close an eye on him as he had today, Tommy wouldn't even get the chance.

Before Tommy could pull himself together, the door opened. Tommy stepped away and eyed Adam warily as he entered the room.

Adam stared hard at him. "Is he your contact?"

Tommy kept his jaw clamped shut, refusing to answer. He might have placed himself in Adam's hands, but he wasn't willing to take that risk with one of his subjects until Adam was past some of the anger, at least.

Adam stepped forward and grabbed Tommy by his fringe, using it to jerk Tommy's head back slightly. "I asked you a question, slave."

Tommy remained silent.

"Since you don't want to talk, maybe I should put your mouth to better use," Adam sneered.

Two could play that game, Tommy decided. "That is your right. My body's here for you to use however you like, whenever you like, My Lord. Your uncle made sure of it."

Adam released Tommy's hair abruptly and stepped back, all the anger in his eyes and tone gone at the slap in the face Tommy had delivered under the guise of agreement. "That was unnecessary. I wouldn't have done it and you know it."

"Easy enough to say from where you stand," Tommy said, tone biting, not caring that he was courting a lashing. "But from my side of things, standing here completely at your mercy? It felt very necessary."

Adam cursed and turned toward the door. With his hand on the handle, he said over his shoulder, "Be on your pallet, naked and cuffed and sleeping by the time I get back. I have no desire to speak to you again tonight."

Tommy fought the urge to throw something at Adam and instead said, "Yes, My Lord," as Adam let himself out of the room.

The next two days were more of the same, until Tommy was ready to pull out his hair. The hunting trip came and went and Isaac wasn't even able to get to him to tell him how the conversation had gone with Monte and what time frame they were looking at for the attack. He had to get word to them that the plan was off, but he couldn't even do that. He thought about asking Adam if he could at least call it off, but Adam would have to be allowing him to speak for that. The morning after that first night, Adam had taken even that away, telling Tommy he was only allowed yes or no answers, along with proper address, unless specifically told otherwise.

Finally, on the third night of being sent back to chambers after dinner, Tommy decided drastic measures were in order. Instead of lying down on his pallet and cuffing himself for the night like he had the previous two nights, Tommy took advantage of the fact that Adam hadn't specifically ordered him to do so, and started to strip. Folding his clothes and setting them aside, he crossed to Adam's side of the bed and picked up the bottle of oil, deciding he was going to make it as hard as possible for Adam to ignore him for a third night.

Sometime later, Tommy heard Adam speaking with the guard outside the door and hurriedly climbed off the bed, crossing to the middle of the room. He dropped to his knees on the pad he'd left there and waited. He'd oiled and stretched himself, then bound his wrists together in front of him, in the leather cuffs from Adam's chest at the foot of the bed. It had been difficult getting the lock to fit around the metal loops, but he'd managed.

Hoping he hadn't miscalculated, Tommy lowered his head and peeked up at the door through his fringe, holding his breath.

Adam stepped inside and stopped short when he saw him. The door clicked shut behind him and for a long moment, neither of them moved.

Then, without a word, Adam crossed the space between them and grabbed Tommy by his hair, jerking on it until Tommy rose to his feet to keep from getting it pulled out. Using his hair to tilt his head back, Adam's mouth came down on Tommy's hard and fast. The kiss was brutal, full of teeth and mashed lips and tongues. It was too much, too hard, and everything Tommy needed from Adam right then after being frozen out for the past three days. He moaned into it.

Adam ripped his mouth from Tommy's and released his hair, only to bend down and throw him over his shoulder. Tommy had a brief flash of that first day, of Adam doing the same thing to him then, but for a much different reason, and then Adam dumped him on his back on the bed and the flash was gone as he found himself staring up into angry blue eyes.

Tommy opened his mouth to say something, but Adam just shook his head and leaned down, cutting Tommy off with his tongue in his mouth. Tommy gave up on speaking and bent his knees, letting his legs fall open in invitation. Adam made a noise halfway between a growl and a groan and climbed on the bed, stripping himself as he went, until he was kneeling between Tommy's legs, naked and erect.

His eyes skimmed Tommy's body and he grabbed Tommy by his cuffed wrists, shoving them up over his head. The order to keep them there was clear in his eyes. Tommy had no intention of doing anything else. Adam was still for a moment, staring down at him, and then suddenly he dove in and it was all hands and lips and teeth, kissing and biting and pressing Tommy into the bed as he positioned himself between his legs. Tommy was vaguely aware of Adam oiling himself up, and then he was thrusting inside him, pulling Tommy's legs over his shoulders, and Tommy cried out, throwing his head back as he was stuffed full to bursting.

A hand descended over his mouth, cutting off any possibility of words and muffling the rest. Tommy took the hint and tried to remain as quiet as possible as Adam rutted into him, taking him hard and fast. And then Adam released his mouth and grabbed his hair again, yanking until Tommy was staring up into stormy blue eyes.

"I'm so … _angry_ with you," Adam said through clenched teeth between thrusts. "I can't stand to be in the same room with you."

Tommy grunted as Adam thrust in particularly hard, hitting that spot that always made Tommy see stars. Swallowing a moan, Tommy said, "I know."

"So you thought this was a good idea?" Adam asked, thrusting even harder.

Tommy opened his hands and pressed them against the head of the bed to keep from sliding up the mattress into it. "Couldn't—" he broke off and gasped, then continued, "couldn't stand it anymore. I'm sorry."

"This doesn't change anything," Adam said, slamming into him, flesh slapping flesh.

"I know," Tommy said again, because he did and it hurt him somewhere deep inside.

"I don't love you anymore," Adam claimed, fist tightening in Tommy's hair to the point of pain.

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath and stared at Adam as Adam fucked him. He could see that it was a lie, but he could also see that Adam desperately needed it to be true. "Okay."

Adam jerked on Tommy's hair. "I _don't_."

"Neither do I," Tommy countered, willing Adam to see the lie in his eyes as easily as he could see it in Adam's.

Adam growled and took Tommy in a brutal kiss that left him tasting blood, lips stinging.

Adam pushed up onto his hands, locked his arms, and thrust in harder and faster until all either of them could do was pant and grunt and moan. Tommy writhed on Adam's cock, his own dick so hard it hurt.

Pre-come leaked from the tip, painting his stomach with sticky fluid, until Tommy couldn't take it anymore and begged between gasps for air, "Please, My Lord. N-need to come."

"No," Adam said sharply, picking up the pace even more.

Tommy cried out as Adam's thrusts fell out of rhythm, and then Adam was flooding his insides with come. With one last thrust, Adam stilled and groaned. Tommy panted, writhing and moaning, so close to coming he could taste it.

"Please," he begged. "Please. I need to—"

"No," Adam said again. He dropped down on top of Tommy, bending Tommy in two and trapping his throbbing cock between their stomachs. Grabbing Tommy by the chin, Adam waited until Tommy was staring up into his eyes to say, "You don't get to come. That's your punishment."

"But—"

"No buts," Adam said, gripping harder. "You claim you meant it when you gave yourself to me. You said you'd take whatever punishment I saw fit. Then accept this as part of the punishment for your lies. No coming, either on my cock of by your own hand, until I've forgiven you, which may never happen."

Tommy whimpered, his body screaming for release, but he forced himself to still under Adam's body, his arms only twitching occasionally as he said, "Yes, My Lord."

Adam's eyes widened a little, clearly not having expected Tommy to capitulate. "And you're still sleeping on the pallet at night."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, spirits sinking.

He'd hoped Adam would soften toward him a little, but he supposed that was wishful thinking. Still, at least Adam was talking to him again and allowing him to speak in return.

Adam pulled out and Tommy winced as fluids leaked from him. Getting up, Adam grabbed a cloth, wet it down, then tossed it at Tommy's stomach. "Clean yourself up and then go to bed."

Tommy did so with difficulty since his wrists were still cuffed together. After a moment, Adam walked over and unlocked his cuffs, attaching one of them to the chain bolted to the floor.

Next he removed the collar from Tommy's neck and the slave bracelets from his wrists, then stood and walked away. He climbed into bed a moment later, and without a word, went to sleep.

Tommy lay staring up at the ceiling for a long time, feeling completely empty and completely alone.

The next night, Tommy didn't bother trying to cuff his wrists together because that had just been too difficult the first time, but he did put the cuffs on and locked them, the key hanging from his mouth by the cord it was attached to so that Adam could use it to lock them together himself if he chose.

When Adam walked in, he stopped short again, heat and anger flashing in his eyes. And then he turned away and went about readying himself for bed for the night, just leaving Tommy kneeling there, key in his mouth, waiting for whatever Adam chose to do with him.

Eventually, Adam walked over and took the key from him, asking, "Too hard to cuff yourself?"

Tommy nodded. "Yes, My Lord."

"Stand and turn around," Adam said, tone flat.

Tommy hesitated, unsure what was going on, but then stood as told.

Adam grabbed one wrist, then the other, and pushed them together behind Tommy's back. Tommy felt him work the lock, and then Tommy's hands were cuffed together. Adam grabbed him by the back of the neck, marched him over to the bed, and shoved him face first over the side of it, leaving Tommy standing on the floor with the upper half of his body lying on the mattress. Tommy turned his head to the side to look back over his shoulder at Adam.

"So," Adam said idly as he ran a hand down Tommy's spine, over the bump of his locked wrists, and over his ass. "Is this going to be a nightly thing, now?"

"I did lose a bet, My Lord. I'm just fulfilling my end of it."

"And trying to get me to forgive you by spreading your legs for me," Adam said coarsely.

Tommy flinched as Adam's hand cracked over his ass without warning.

"Will it work?" Tommy asked, hating the hopeful note in his voice and the weakness it revealed.

Adam cracked his hand across Tommy's ass again and Tommy gasped.

"It might," Adam said. Another crack. "Then again, it might not. Is it still worth it if it doesn't?"

Another crack and Tommy nodded, the side of his face rubbing against the mattress. "If there's a chance, yes."

Adam huffed in frustration and moved behind Tommy, one hand on his hip, the other on Tommy's cuffed wrists. "Are you oiled and stretched again?"

"Yes, My Lord. I'm ready for your cock."

"Gods," Adam said, sounding extremely aroused.

Letting go of Tommy's hip, Adam lined himself up and thrust in.

Tommy cried out as Adam sank balls deep in one go.

Already mostly hard from the impromptu spanking, let along being entered so swiftly and completely, Tommy tried to push back when Adam thrust forward, but Adam smacked him for his efforts. "Lie still."

Tommy groaned but did as he was told, lying there half off the bed, legs spread, arms bound behind his back as Adam fucked into him hard and fast, being just as brutal about it as the night before.

"I hate how you make me feel," Adam said, through gasps for air.

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut. "I know."

"I hate that I want you even though you betrayed me," Adam went on.

"I know," Tommy repeated.

Leaning over him, Adam said next to his ear, "I don't love you anymore."

Tommy swallowed down the lump in his throat at the repeat of the words from the night before. At least the night before he could see the lie in Adam's eyes. This time, he could only hear the wish for it to be true in his voice. "I'm sorry."

"I don't care," Adam hissed. "And I mean it. I don't love you."

Tommy took a deep breath and repeated his words from the night before, praying Adam didn't believe them any more than he believed Adam's. "I don't either."

"Good," Adam said roughly, then pushed up. Grabbing Tommy's shoulders, he used them to shove Tommy's body back onto his cock as he thrust forward.

Tommy groaned and twisted in Adam's hold, hands clenching and unclenching behind his back as he tried to hold off his orgasm, biting his lip to keep from begging to come.

And then Adam said gruffly, "Are you close?"

"Yes," Tommy panted.

"Beg me for it," Adam ordered.

"Please, My Lord," Tommy said immediately. "Please forgive me. Please let me come."

"No," Adam said, and Tommy could hear the relish in his voice as he froze and emptied himself inside him.

Tommy turned his face into the mattress and whimpered, so close to the edge that if Adam moved one inch right then, Tommy would lose the battle and come, permission or not.

Thankfully, Adam remained still until Tommy came back from the edge and relaxed a little, turning his head to the side once more so he could breathe in and out slowly.

Adam pulled free then and Tommy winced as come leaked down his thighs.

Adam uncuffed him and smacked his ass one last time, hard, saying, "Lie down on your pallet and hold out your wrist."

Tommy hesitated. "May I clean myself first, My Lord?"

"No," Adam said. "I want you to feel used."

Still hard, Tommy's cock twitched at that, although he wasn't sure that had been the reaction Adam was going for. "Yes, My Lord."

Adam cuffed him to the chain and went around the bed, climbing into it from the other side. Everything grew silent.

When Tommy was on the edge of sleep, Adam said, "Tomorrow night, have cuffs around your ankles as well as your wrists."

Clearing his throat, Tommy said, "Yes, My Lord," hope leaping in his chest. It might have just been his imagination or wishful thinking, but Tommy would swear that Adam didn't sound quite as angry has he had been.

The next two nights went much as the last two. Angry sex and even angrier words, punctuated by Adam's claim not to love him anymore and Tommy's bald-faced lie that he didn't either. The nights ended the same, too, with Adam giving him instructions on how to present himself the next night.

That night proved to be no different.

After yet another round of rough sex and an order to return to his pallet, Tommy settled in for the night, head resting on his hands, dick throbbing with need, come leaking from his ass because Adam had refused to let him clean up again. He shivered as the sheen of sweat covering his body cooled in the night air. Yet again a blanket dropped down on him without any warning and yet again, Tommy bit his bottom lip against the impulse to thank Adam, his gut telling him it was better to ignore the gesture than acknowledge it.

"Tomorrow night, I want you oiled, stretched, and on the bed, ankles and one wrist secured. The other wrist will be secured for you. Further, I want your eyes closed so that you can't see if it's me entering or someone else that I sent on a whim to fuck you," Adam said.

Tommy's neglected dick twitched and he longed to reach for it and relieve himself. He had no doubt it would be Adam entering the next night. As angry as he'd made Adam, Tommy knew that Adam would never let someone else fuck him without Tommy's permission, so the hint of it was arousing. All in all, the orders on how to greet Adam each evening would be a fun sex game if it wasn't for the anger and need to humiliate behind them.

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said, the weight of Adam's continued fury pressing down on him.

"How much longer?" Adam asked from the bed above.

Tommy frowned. "My Lord?"

"How much longer are you going to let me keep treating you like this?"

Tommy exhaled quietly, surprised Adam was asking and even more surprised Adam was acknowledging that Tommy had a choice in all this and was continuing to choose him. "As long as it takes for me to prove to you I didn't lie about giving myself to you, and for you to forgive me," Tommy said honestly.

"And if it takes a year, will your kingdom wait on you?" Adam asked.

"I—" Tommy started, then broke off. "I have no idea. I do not even know if they're waiting now. I've had no contact with them since I told you." He left unsaid that it was because of Adam's tight leash on him since that night. The explanation of why wasn't necessary. They both knew why Adam had been keeping him at his side when he wasn't locking him in chambers with orders to the guards not to let anyone enter besides Taylor.

"In other words, Monte could be mounting his attack as we speak," Adam said flatly.

Tommy's heart pounded in his ears, unable to believe he was giving so much away, putting his kingdom at such risk. In the end, though, he had to go with his gut and his gut was telling him it was the right choice to trust Adam with the knowledge.

"If Monte thinks I'm under duress, which is entirely possible with how you've cut me off from everyone, then yes. He could be."

Adam was silent for a long time, so long in fact, that Tommy thought maybe he had fallen asleep. Eventually, though, the bed shifted. Tommy heard the sound of a drawer opening and closing, and then Adam appeared above him, braced on one arm. Tommy stared up at him as Adam reached down and set something on the floor.

Tommy glanced over and sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of his dagger and the key to the cuff. Hope leaping inside him, Tommy's eyes flew to Adam's again, only to have that hope shrivel up at the cold look in Adam's eyes.

"My Lord?" Tommy asked.

"The clothes you used for riding with Brooke and Isaac are in my chest. Be gone by morning."

Bile rose up Tommy's throat and he whispered, "You don't mean that."

"I do. I don't want you here anymore."

"What about the king?" Tommy tried.

"This will reflect worse on him than me, considering it will be his knights that let you slip right by them and out of the castle."

"And if I get caught?" Tommy asked, feeling suddenly hollow.

"You've proven how clever you are. I have every confidence you won't."

Tommy closed his eyes against his emotions, swallowing hard. "Please," he whispered.

"Goodbye, Your Highness," Adam said dismissively before turning on his side, back to Tommy.

Tommy lay staring up at the ceiling for a long time before he finally rose from the pallet and unlocked his cuff. It fell with a clink to the floor, the sound deafening in the silence. He looked at Adam, knowing by the tense line of his back that Adam wasn't asleep. Hoping beyond hope that Adam changed his mind and stopped him, Tommy pulled his clothes from the chest and slipped them on. Not a sound came from Adam.

Tommy hesitated, staring at Adam's back for a long moment before saying, "Goodbye, Adam."

It turned out to be surprisingly easy to sneak out of the castle. So easy, in fact, that Tommy suspected Adam had something to do with it. First, the guard outside Adam's chambers had been sound asleep, and then the guard at the end of the corridor, and the one at the bottom of the stairs. Somehow, Tommy doubted that King Gregory was truly that lax about security that he'd allow guards to sleep on their shift.

Once Tommy was past all of them, he stuck to the shadows through the great hall, passing sleeping citizens of the kingdom and visitors alike who regularly used the hall to bed down in. He passed through the keep just as easily, and found himself out in the yard, no one around. It was as if someone had cast a sleeping spell on everyone within the castle walls, not that Tommy believed in that sort of thing. Tommy tensed and looked around, suddenly sensing someone watching him.

Sutan stepped out of the shadows of the castle walls and Tommy exhaled, everything clicking into place. "He had you drug everyone."

Sutan stared at Tommy for a long moment, then nodded.

"So you know?" Tommy asked, feeling Sutan out.

"I know, Your Highness," Sutan said.

Tommy's shoulders slumped and he shook his head. "You do not need to call me that."

"You are a king, are you not?"

Tommy's jaw clenched and he glared at Sutan. "Don't. Don't you freeze me out, too. I did nothing to betray you, not like—"

Tommy broke off and Sutan stared knowingly at him. "Not like you did with Adam?"

Tommy nodded. "I never meant to hurt him. You have to know that. I didn't have a choice. Why can't he understand that? I never would have expected him to choose me over his kingdom."

Sutan blinked and glanced around pointedly, then back at Tommy. "Except, that's exactly what he's just done. It would be easy for you to enact your plan, what with everyone drugged. You could slit the king's throat, gather your army, and attack long before the elixir wore off."

Tommy's eyes widened, realizing Sutan was right. He'd been so caught up in Adam's rejection and his order for Tommy to leave, that Tommy hadn't even stopped to consider the implications of everyone being drugged, not to mention how Adam had armed him, then gave him his back.

Eyes narrowing, Tommy asked, "Did Adam send you?"

"Adam told me to lock myself in my chamber after I added the elixir to the evening round of drinks. I'm defying his order to be here telling you this."

"Why?"

"Because I believe that you love him, even if he's too hard-headed to see it right now. I've seen the two of you together. I saw the raw emotion written all over both your faces that night you invited me to watch you couple. There's no faking that, on either side."

Tommy bit his bottom lip, looking away. In a quiet voice, he asked, "Then why is he sending me away?"

"Because he's letting his anger get the best of him, and because he knows he can't keep you indefinitely like this. Something will have to give or there will be all out war."

Tommy looked between the stables and the castles, wrestling with what to do. Finally, he looked over at Sutan in resignation. "I have to go."

"I know," Sutan said, clearly disappointed.

"Tell Adam…" Tommy trailed off and took a deep breath, then tried again. "Tell Adam I love him. Tell him that if he ever manages to forgive me, I'll be waiting for him."

Sutan nodded. "I will."

Choked up, Tommy darted forward and pulled Sutan into a hug. "Thank you."

Sutan wrapped his arms around Tommy and hugged him back. "Go. Your horse is saddled and waiting."

Tommy nodded and pulled away. With one last look at Sutan and the castle, he turned and hurried for the stable.


	12. Chapter 12

For a while after Tommy left, Adam laid in bed staring at the ceiling. He felt … hollowed out. Gutted. In spite of what he'd been telling Tommy night after night, he still loved him. He just couldn't get past his anger and the sense of betrayal he felt. None of it mattered anyway. Tommy was gone. It was over.

Through his open window, Adam heard the soft neigh of a horse and knew it was Tommy. It had to be. Sutan had put everyone else to sleep. Everyone but Adam, Neil, and Brooke and her entourage, just in case they were Tommy's contact and he decided to take them with him.

Unable to help himself, Adam rose from the bed and walked over to the window, staring out. There, in the moonlight, Adam caught sight of a shadowy figure leading a lone white horse from the royal stables. Tommy and Wild.

As Tommy swung up onto Wild's back, Adam backed away from the window, not able to stomach watching him ride off into the night. As Adam climbed back in bed and closed his eyes, he wondered when to expect the attack.

Sometime later, Adam woke with a start. Realizing he must have fallen asleep, he opened his eyes to find Tommy standing on his side of the bed, setting something on Adam's nightstand. Looking over at it, Adam saw the dagger and the key lying there. He frowned, looking back at Tommy questioningly.

Holding his gaze, Tommy moved around to the foot of the bed and opened the chest. Slowly, he stripped off the clothing Adam had told him to put on and put it back. Next, he walked around to the side of the bed with the pallet still on the floor and bent down, picking up the cuff. As Adam watched, heart hammering in his chest, Tommy locked it back in place and dropped to his knees next to the bed.

Adam stared hard at him. "I told you to leave."

"I know," Tommy said, holding Adam's gaze in the firelight. "I had Wild saddled and was astride him before I made the decision to defy you." Tommy's gaze turned to steel. "I told you once before that I wouldn't let you break our agreement so easily and I meant it, so here I am."

Pushing aside the memory of the night Tommy had said that to him and what he'd shared with Tommy that night, Adam snapped, " _You_ were the one who broke it. You lied to me every time you didn't tell me what was going on."

Tommy held Adam's gaze. "I didn't lie to you about the important things between us, and as for the rest, if you could just let go of some of your anger, I know you would see that I had no choice. You would have done the same thing in my place."

Deep down, Adam knew Tommy was right, but he was still too angry to admit it to him. Instead, he said harshly, "This changes nothing."

Tommy nodded, expression resigned. "I know."

Trying another tactic, Adam said, "Tomorrow night is the night of the feast. You're truly willing to let me use your mouth in front of everyone?"

Tommy looked away, jaw clenched. Eventually, he looked back and said, "I don't want it, but I won't fight it. I'll do what needs to be done to prove to your uncle what you seem to need to prove to him."

Adam tensed. "It's not what I need to prove to him. It's what he needs to see to believe I'm worthy of the crown."

Tommy nodded. "Yes. Until the next time, and the time after that, and the time after that. There's always going to be another test, another obstacle. If you think me sucking your dick in front of a room full of people will be the end of it, you're deluding yourself. Worse, you're giving him power he doesn't deserve. It's not up to him whether you take the crown or not. It's up to the sovereign. Your uncle can try his best to discredit you, but in the end he's going to fail because you are more than capable of ruling the kingdom and you haven't done anything to prove otherwise."

Adam's eyes narrowed. "Lie down and go to sleep. I don't need a lecture from you on my situation."

Tommy dropped his eyes and said, "Yes, My Lord," before lying down on the floor, out of sight.

It was a long time before Adam sank back into sleep, Tommy's words and actions tumbling over and over in his head.

The next afternoon, Adam stood on the balcony above the great hall, staring out at the woods, wondering when Monte would tire of waiting for word from Tommy and attack.

"You've been unusually quiet this past week," Neil said, coming to stand beside him. "Something going on I should know about?"

Adam glanced back behind them at the doorway, then said to Neil in a low voice, "Not here."

Neil cocked an eyebrow. "My chambers or yours?"

"Yours," Adam said.

Neil nodded. "I'll meet you there."

Five minutes later, Adam was pacing Neil's room while Neil sat in a nearby chair, watching him with a bemused look on his face. Finally, Adam stopped and looked at Neil.

"In your opinion, do I seem to need to prove something to our uncle?"

Neil's eyes widened. "Where is this coming from?"

"Just answer the question," Adam said impatiently.

Neil pressed his lips together in obvious annoyance, but the expression gave way soon enough, a thoughtful one taking it's place. "I never thought of it like that before, but yes, I suppose so, in a way. I don't believe you're trying to gain his approval as you would have our father's, but you are trying to prove you're worthy of the throne so he won't have a case to take to the sovereign."

Adam sighed, turning away to stare out the window. "Last night, Tommy said I'm deluding myself if I think making him submit in front of everyone tonight will be the end of it. He said I'm giving our uncle power over me he doesn't deserve."

Neil was silent for a moment before saying, "Tommy's right, even though I have to wonder if it's a little self-serving. I can't imagine given his former kingdom's attitude toward public sex that he's all that eager to get on his knees for you in front of everyone."

Adam sank down into a chair facing Neil. "About that. There's something you should know."

Neil's eyes widened significantly as Adam laid out everything Tommy had admitted to him, ending with what had happened the night before, how Adam had let Tommy go, but Tommy had refused to leave.

"It was a good plan," Neil said once Adam finished. "Lucky for us his feelings for you messed it up."

Adam tensed. "His feelings for me didn't stop him from lying to me."

Neil snorted. "Can you honestly say you wouldn't have done the same thing in his shoes?"

Adam clenched his jaw. "That's what he said, too."

"You didn't answer the question," Neil pressed.

Adam stood and crossed to the window, staring out at the woods. "No, I can't. I would have. Only, I probably would have worked my way into someone's bed from the start, both to avoid slave labor, and to make it easier to take them out in their sleep."

"Sounds to me like you're letting your pride get in the way of forgiving him, then."

"It's not pride," Adam huffed. "It's just…"

"Just what?"

"It's just … I believed that I could trust him and I was a fool for it. How do I trust him now?"

"I'd say the fact that you gave him a dagger and the means to kill all of us in our sleep—thank you for that, by the way—not to mention the means to attack the kingdom while the majority of our army was drugged, speaks to the fact that you do indeed trust him. The fact that instead of doing any of that, he stayed in spite of how angry you are with him and how I imagine you've been treating him since his confession, speaks to the fact that your trust was well placed."

Adam exhaled, his shoulders slumping. "I know. I know you're right. I just can't seem to get past this anger."

"And we're back to pride," Neil said dryly.

Adam glared at him. "You know, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, brother."

Neil smiled. "That's the nicest thing you've said to me all day."

Adam just snorted and rolled his eyes.

Tommy sat staring at his lunch, unable to stomach it. It was ironic, really. It was the first time in days he'd been allowed any food he liked, Adam having made sure the kitchens served him only things Adam knew he didn't care for, and still, he had no appetite. Adam had been gone by the time Tommy woke, and given the fact that his diamond collar, slave bracelets, and see-through garments had been laid out on top of Adam's chest for the feast that evening, along with Adam's harsh words the night before, Tommy didn't hold out much hope that Adam had changed his mind about that evening. Tommy would be made to suck him off in front of the entire kingdom of Vox and some of his own men, too.

The chamber door opened and Tommy looked up, surprised to see Sutan enter. Sutan looked just as surprised to see him. Tommy blinked, glancing past Sutan at the guard stationed outside.

Once the door closed, Tommy asked, "He didn't restrict visitors before he left for the day?"

Sutan shook his head. "Apparently not. They didn't so much as glance my way as I approached." Sutan paused, then stated needlessly, "You came back."

Tommy nodded. "I couldn't do it. I started to, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't leave Adam."

Sutan walked over and sat down across from Tommy at the table. "I'm glad. I was not looking forward to trying to calm his temper at your leaving, no matter that he was the one who facilitated it."

Tommy sighed and pushed his plate away. "Maybe it would have been better if I could. Staying changed nothing."

Sutan cocked his head. "I'm not so sure about that. He didn't restrict your visitors like he has been. That must mean something."

Tommy thought about it and added, "Yes, and for the first time in days he allowed me food I like instead of food that makes my stomach turn."

"And yet you haven't touched it," Sutan commented.

Tommy bit his bottom lip before admitting, "My impending humiliation this evening is doing little for my appetite."

"You mean the performance the king is demanding?" Sutan asked.

Tommy nodded.

Sutan smiled. "It doesn't have to be humiliating, you know. It's all in how you look at it."

Tommy studied him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Sutan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "I've seen the two of you together. Let yourself go like you did that night. Let everyone—the king especially—see how much you enjoy being Adam's. Give Adam the best blow job of his life while the king and everyone looks on. They'll all be envious afterwards, and the king will seethe. It's the best revenge, really."

Tommy took a deep breath. "I don't know if I could pull that off."

Sutan stood and walked around the table. Cupping the back of Tommy's head in his hand, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tommy's forehead, murmuring against his skin, "You can. I know you have it in you." Backing up, he cupped Tommy's cheek and smirked. "If it helps, pretend only I am there and that you're putting on the show for me."

Tommy smiled back. "I'll try."

Sutan let go of him and started for the door.

"Thank you," Tommy said.

Sutan turned back and nodded his head, then looked pointedly at the plate Tommy had pushed away. "You can thank me by eating your food. You're too thin to be skipping meals. You'll waste away."

Tommy rolled his eyes but grinned, reaching for his plate to pull it back over. "Okay."

Sutan returned the smile and left.

As Tommy dug into his meal, he considered Sutan's words.

That evening at the feast, Adam was still undecided. He turned everything Tommy and Neil had said to him over and over in his head, trying to see past the anger and hurt to the logic of their words. In his head he knew they were right. His emotions, though, wouldn't let go of him.

Adam glanced down at the back of Tommy's shaved head, then further, picking out the line of Tommy's spine, which was visible through the sheer fabric covering his torso. The man was beautiful and Adam wanted nothing more than to spread him out face down on some cushions and fuck him right there. Just as soon as he thought it, he knew he couldn't. Tommy wouldn't want it, and no matter how angry Adam was with him, the thought of forcing Tommy to spread his legs the way Gregory had forced Adam years ago made Adam's stomach turn.

A tap to his shoulder pulled Adam from his musings and he glanced over at Gregory, who was seated next to him on the throne.

"It is time," Gregory said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw Tommy tense.

Without waiting for Adam to give the order, his uncle looked over at Tommy and said, "Slave, service your master with your mouth. Now."

Adam looked at Tommy, his mouth dry, heart pounding as Tommy turned and shifted closer on his knees until he was between Adam's. Adam held his breath as Tommy's hands lifted to his knees and slid up his legs, pushing under his tunic to the belt of his undergarment.

Everything in Adam screamed at him to put a stop to what was happening, but the words caught in his throat. And then Tommy had his undergarment unbelted and pulled down over his cock—his soft cock—and was leaning in, mouth open, to take him inside.

Just then, Tommy's gaze flicked up to Adam's and Adam was taken aback by the willingness in them, and the desire. It hadn't been what he'd expected to see at all. He'd expected to see hurt and resignation, and while he was sure that would have been more than enough to break him free from whatever was keeping him frozen and speechless, it was the fact that Tommy was giving himself over in spite of the humiliation he was about to endure that finally snapped Adam free of his anger and the fear of his uncle that still lurked in some deep, dark corner of his mind.

Adam straightened in his chair and gently pushed at Tommy's shoulders. When Tommy sat back, a questioning look in his eyes, Adam let go of him and reached under his tunic to tuck himself away and tie his belt back around his undergarment.

Jaw set, Adam turned to look at his uncle and said firmly, "No."

Gregory's eyebrow lifted. "No? You dare to tell your king no?"

Heartbeat pounding in his ears as he outright defied his uncle for the first time ever, Adam said, "He is _my_ sex slave. I'll use him however and whenever I choose, and I do not choose to do so now."

"Watch yourself, nephew, or I'll be forced to take your insolence and inability to control your slave to the sovereign."

Adam leaned over the arm of his chair and said in a low voice that only him, his uncle, and Tommy would be able to hear. "Do it, Uncle, and we shall see what the sovereign has to say. First of all, my slave complied. It was I who stopped it. He's under control. Second, I do not believe the fact that I choose not to have sex in public with my pleasure slave is any kind of reason to keep me from the throne, and I'm sure you know that also. As to my insolence, one of the key laws of the realm is that sex should never be forced. That in mind, I think it would be in your best interest to not mention my defiance on this issue. Otherwise, I may be forced to bring up other … matters I'm sure you would rather not be brought to light. Understand?"

The flash of fear in Gregory's eyes filled Adam with a sick sort of satisfaction. He had no intention of telling the sovereign what Gregory had forced on him after his father's death, but it was clear Gregory was falling for the bluff, and that was all that mattered.

Schooling his features, Gregory sat back in his seat. "Fine. Do what you like. I care nothing of your interactions with a worthless slave anyway. In fact, remove him from my sight. I have no wish to look upon his face any longer this evening."

Adam grinned. "Good choice, Uncle. I'll see you in the morning at breakfast."

Gregory ignored him as Adam rose to his feet and looked down at Tommy. "Come."

When they reached the mouth of the corridor that led to the royal wing, Adam paused and said, "Go on ahead. I'll be there momentarily. I need to speak with Neil for a moment."

"Yes, My Lord," Tommy said dutifully.

Tommy entered the corridor and had just turned a corner that lead to the royal wing when Brooke and Isaac stepped out of the shadows of a side corridor and right into his path.

"Are you alone?" Brooke asked, getting right to the point.

Tommy nodded. "Adam is speaking with his brother. Has something happened?"

Brooke's eyes widened. "Has something happened? Yes something has happened. Adam has cut you off from everyone. Isaac and I have both tried on several occasions for nearly a week now to come see you in chambers once it became obvious Adam wasn't going to let you out of his sight outside them. We were both told Adam had you under lock and key and you weren't allowed visitors. It seems to me the Adam we met that day in the exercise yard was a ruse and the real Adam is no better than his uncle."

"Don't," Tommy said firmly. "Don't ever compare him to his uncle. Gregory is vile. Adam is _nothing_ like him."

Brooke and Isaac both looked taken aback by Tommy's vehemence.

"What is going on, then?" Isaac asked.

Tommy bit his bottom lip, glancing back over his shoulder. He didn't have much time, and while Adam hadn't forced him to perform publicly, that didn't mean by a long shot that Adam had forgiven him, or that Adam could be trusted in his anger with confirmation that Brooke and Isaac were in on the ambush.

Looking back at them, Tommy said, "I don't have time to explain. Adam will be along any moment."

Brooke stepped closer and said whispered, "I sent a messenger off to the sovereign this morning, regarding Gregory's unlawful seizure of your kingdom and your forced sexual enslavement, among other things."

Tommy's eyes widened. "Then send another, posthaste, and call the messenger back."

"Give me one good reason why I should," Brooke said, arms crossed over her chest, pushing her breasts up tight against the scooped neckline of her dress.

"Because you're wrong."

"I am? So Adam didn't get angry with you for some reason and cut you off from everyone? Would you have me believe instead that you just didn't feel like talking to us?"

"We had an argument and he's angry, yes, but we'll work it out," Tommy said, realizing as he said it that he truly believed they would. "He's already starting to let some of his anger go, actually. If you had stopped by today, you would have gotten in to see me. The ban on visitors was lifted." At Brooke and Isaac's continued skeptical looks, Tommy added, "Just … give me a few days. I'll fix this, I swear. In fact, stay on if you'd like to see for yourself. You can tell the king you're suffering an illness and would rather not travel. I'll talk to Sutan. I'm sure he'll confirm it if the king requires it."

Brooke stared at him for a moment, then glanced past him and tensed.

"Tommy?" Adam said from behind him.

Cursing silently at the interruption before he could secure Brooke's cooperation, Tommy turned and met Adam's gaze.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"My Lord?" Brooke said boldly from Tommy's other side. "What happened to allowing him to speak informally to you?"

Tommy looked back at her. "Please, Brooke. Leave it alone."

Adam walked up and put a hand on Tommy's upper arm. "If you wouldn't mind, Tommy and I have some things to work out privately. I will make sure he speaks with you both tomorrow."

Brooke stared hard at Adam before finally nodding her head and stepping aside. "I will hold you to that."

Adam nodded and walked past her, taking Tommy with him.

Moments later, they reached Adam's chambers and Adam shut the door behind them. Tommy opened his mouth to say something, but Adam didn't give him the chance. Instead, he grabbed Tommy by the shoulders and pressed him against the wall next to the door, then leaned in and fused their mouths together.

Tommy moaned in the back of his throat and opened to Adam, returning the kiss enthusiastically. Forearms tight against the sides of Tommy's shoulders, Adam leaned against the wall on them and cupped Tommy's face in his hands.

Pulling out of the kiss, Adam stared into Tommy's eyes for a long moment before saying, "I'm sorry."

Tommy's eyes widened in surprise. "My Lord?"

Adam shook his head. "Adam. If anyone should be using proper address, it's me, considering you outrank me, Your Highness."

Tommy's grin was slow, but filled with pure joy. His expressive brown eyes turned glassy with emotion. "I'd prefer you treat me as an equal, not your better," Tommy said. His gaze dropped for a second before lifting to meet Adam's again. His smile turned almost shy as he said, "In fact, behind closed doors, I'd prefer you continue to treat me as you did before my confession."

Adam returned Tommy's grin, pleased. He knew he'd been right. Tommy liked submitting sexually. It was in his nature. Adam was fairly sure that if Tommy hadn't been royalty, someone would have introduced him to that side of himself long ago.

"Very well," Adam said. "Behind closed doors, you remain mine to do with as I please."

The way Tommy's breath caught and his eyes fluttered shut as a shiver made his body vibrate against Adam's got Adam instantly hard. Leaning in, Adam bit lightly at Tommy's bottom lip until Tommy's eyes flicked open and met his again.

Pulling back, Adam repeated, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Tommy asked, sounding a little breathless.

"For the way I've been treating you since you admitted what you've been doing."

Tommy shook his head. "There's no need. I deserved it."

"No," Adam said fiercely, hands tightening on Tommy's face slightly. "No you didn't. You were right. I would have done the same thing in your place. I can hardly take you to task for putting your kingdom first. You're their king. It's your duty."

Tommy looked down, guilt flashing over his face as he bit his bottom lip.

Moving his hand from Tommy's cheek to his chin, Adam tilted his head back up until Tommy met Adam's eyes. "What is it?"

Tommy hesitated, then said, "But in the end, I didn't put them first. I put you first. I'm not worthy of being their king."

Adam shook his head. "The way I see it, that's not what you did at all. You realized the folly of your plan. Killing a royal family who are nothing but cruel and oppressive is one thing, but killing people who do not even agree with the king's edicts and try to right things whenever possible is entirely another. No one should fault you for that."

"But—"

"But nothing," Adam interrupted. "Tell me. Brooke and Isaac are your contacts and it's their kingdom you've aligned yourself with, is it not?"

Tommy searched Adam's eyes for a long moment before admitting, "Yes."

Adam nodded. "I thought as much."

"Isaac isn't from Solvo, though," Tommy added. "He's actually a close childhood friend of mine and one of my highest ranking knights. He's only posing as Brooke's servant."

Adam blinked. He hadn't expected that, as slight of build at Isaac was.

Thinking back to the battlefield outside Reus and how overwhelmingly short most of Tousma's knights had been, Adam asked, "Tell me, is there anyone taller than an adolescent child in your kingdom?"

A surprised bubble of laughter burst from Tommy's throat. "It's true, most in Tousma tend to be on the short side, but there are a few. Another friend of mine, David, is one. He's about your height, although he's more Sutan's build than yours."

Adam shook his head. "I'd wonder how you haven't been taken over before, but I've seen you fight and I know your kingdom's reputation. It was why Gregory decided we needed the advantage of an ambush on your way back to Lootus. He wasn't confident we'd be able to defeat you at full strength. I wasn't, either."

Tommy seemed to stand a little taller at that, his smile filled with pride. "It's true. What we lack in height and build, we make up for with sword skill and cunning. Those skills are passed down from generation to generation."

Adam nodded. "Back to the matter at hand. Did Brooke think you should continue with the plan as is after she met Neil and I?"

Tommy frowned and shook his head. "She brought up the fact that we needed to adjust the plan before I even could, actually."

Adam nodded. "And Monte. When they reported to him, what did he say?"

"He reluctantly agreed we needed a new plan, too."

Adam nodded again. "In my estimation, that proves you're worthy of the throne. You're willing to see reason and make adjustments. You're not so bullheaded and arrogant that you would keep to a plan even after you realized how unjust it would be to execute. That is the sign of a good leader, not a poor one."

Tommy looked pleased with that assessment, then curious. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"As my brother pointed out to me earlier today, I was letting my pride get the better of me. How can I fault you for actions I would have taken myself if in your position? And then tonight, the look in your eyes as you glanced up at me from your knees… I realized you were doing it for me, to make up for your lies, not to further your plan. How could that last bit of anger and pride I was harboring hold up under that?"

"I would have done anything to make it up to you," Tommy admitted. "I hate that I hurt you so much."

Adam leaned in and pressed his lips to Tommy's, kissing him deeply. When he pulled back, he stared into Tommy's eyes and said, "You are not the one that needs to make up for his actions. I am."

"What—" Tommy started, only to break off as Adam sank to his knees.

Adam stared up at Tommy as he reached under his tunic and untied the knot at his waist. "Remove your tunic," Adam said as he worked Tommy's belt open, letting it drop to the floor along with Tommy's undergarment.

Tommy complied, heat in his eyes. Even so, he said, "You do not need to do this."

"I know," Adam said. "I want to. Let me?"

Tommy's throat bobbed as he swallowed. Voice husky, he said, "You do not need my permission, My Lord. I am yours."

Adam groaned, eyes slipping shut for a moment. He didn't think he'd ever tire of hearing Tommy say that.

"In that case…" Adam said, trailing off as he leaned forward and took Tommy's half hard dick in his mouth.

Above him, Adam heard Tommy's head hit the wall behind him as he cursed, hips bucking into Adam's mouth. Normally, Adam would have pressed Tommy back against the wall and made him take the blow job at Adam's pace, but not tonight. Tonight he wanted to feel Tommy fucking his mouth. To that end, he grabbed Tommy's hands and placed them on his head. Looking up at Tommy, Adam opened wider and stilled, waiting for Tommy to catch on.

Tommy's eyes widened briefly before darkening with lust. His fingers threaded through Adam's long hair and grabbed hold, and then he was canting his hips, fucking into Adam's mouth with shallow little thrusts at first that grew in depth and strength as the minutes passed and he got closer to the edge.

Adam moaned around him at one point when Tommy tugged a little on his hair and thrust deeper yet. In turn, Tommy gasped and tightened his hold, fucking faster and deeper with every thrust of his hips.

Adam reached for himself, so hard in his undergarment he was leaking through it, but Tommy shook his head and said breathlessly, "D-don't. Want you to come inside me a-after."

Adam shuddered and groaned. He shifted his hands from Tommy's thighs to his ass, groaning again as he felt Tommy's backside flex under his touch every time Tommy thrust into his mouth. With some difficulty, Adam pried Tommy's cheeks apart and pressed a dry finger to Tommy's asshole, rubbing in circles as Tommy moaned brokenly.

"So close. Been too long," Tommy gasped. "May I come?"

Adam answered by sucking harder and forcing himself down around Tommy completely on Tommy's next thrust, taking Tommy to the back of his throat. Tommy cried out, hips stuttering out of rhythm as come shot down Adam's throat. He swallowed around Tommy's dick, taking it all, until Tommy sank back against the wall, spent and gasping for air.

Adam pulled off with one last suck to get the last drops of Tommy's come, then stood, smirking at the dazed look in Tommy's eyes. "That good?"

Tommy nodded. "Even if it hadn't been nearly a week since you let me come last, I'd say that was the best blow job I've ever gotten."

Guilt flickered through Adam as he remembered the past several nights of using Tommy's body to get off but not allowing Tommy release of his own. "I'm—"

Tommy reached up, pressing a finger to Adam's lips as he shook his head. "Don't. Whatever you say, I deserved it. In fact, I more or less asked for it by forcing the issue that first night." He paused and looked up at Adam from under his eyelashes. His cheeks colored slightly as he admitted, "If not for the anger rolling off you each time, I would have enjoyed it, actually."

Adam's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You like being denied your own pleasure?"

Tommy shrugged. "Once in a while as part of a game, I would."

Adam thought it through and realized the idea turned him on, too. "I think we will be playing that game very soon then."

Tommy grinned. "So you're going to keep me?"

Adam chuckled at the happiness written all over Tommy's face. Leaning in, he nipped at Tommy's lower lip and said, "As if I could ever let you go. Hells," he continued, "as if you'd ever leave. You've refused twice so far."

"I guess that means you're stuck with me," Tommy teased.

"I suppose it does," Adam said, leaning in for another kiss.

It quickly turned heated and Adam pressed his erection against Tommy's stomach with a groan.

Pulling out of the kiss, Tommy said against Adam's lips, "Take me to bed and fuck me, My Lord."

Adam groaned and reached for Tommy's ass, lifting him up off the floor. Tommy wrapped his legs and arms around him and Adam turned, walking them over to the bed. He dumped Tommy on it on his back, and stared down at his body while removing his own clothing. Once he was as naked as Tommy, he joined Tommy on the bed, setting between Tommy's legs as he licked and nipped his way down the side of Tommy's neck.

Tommy arched against him and begged, "Fuck me. Gods. Need to feel you inside me."

"You're not hard yet. I can wait," Adam mumbled against Tommy's throat.

He felt Tommy shake his head. "Don't care. Want you in me. Please, Adam."

Adam groaned, finding that the idea of fucking Tommy while he was soft turned him on.

Pushing up until he was kneeling between Tommy's legs, Adam reached for the bottle of oil on his night stand. He poured a generous amount over his fingers and dick. With one hand, he worked the oil over himself, while with his other hand, he reached between Tommy's legs to stretch him. Tommy aided him by bending his knees and holding on to them with his hands.

Once Adam had them both ready, he hooked Tommy's legs over his shoulders and lined himself up. Staring down at Tommy, he entered him, pushing steadily until he was flush with Tommy's ass.

Tommy stared back at him, gaze intent, a wealth of emotions in his expression. Adam's breath caught in his throat at the look and he realized something deeper than just sex was happening between them. He'd felt hints of it before, but never this strongly.

Bracing himself on his forearms, Adam pushed Tommy's fringe of blond hair off his face and rubbed his thumb over Tommy's cheek near his mouth, saying softly, "I lied when I said I didn't love you anymore. I do. I have all along."

Tommy turned his face and kissed the palm of Adam's hand, then looked back up at him, brown eyes bright with emotion. "I lied, too. I never stopped loving you either."

Adam leaned down, thankful Tommy was so bendable as he essentially folded him in half in order to kiss him. Tommy opened to the kiss willingly, groaning into Adam's mouth as Adam started to thrust into him slowly, taking his time, enjoying the feeling of being inside Tommy without the anger or hurt.

He fucked Tommy slowly, until Tommy hardened between them again and he began panting and moaning, begging for Adam to speed up.

Finally, when Adam couldn't take the torture any longer himself, he gasped out between breaths for air, "Hands over your head and hold on."

Tommy hurried to comply, hands pressing flat against the headboard as Adam let down his legs and knelt up, pulling Tommy half onto his lap. Tommy wrapped his legs around him and Adam grabbed his hips. He slamming into Tommy fast and hard, watching as Tommy writhed on his dick, crying out and panting for air with every thrust. Before long, broken words were spilling from Tommy's lips like a litany and Adam pieced together that he was begging to come again.

"Yes," Adam said. "Touch yourself. Come with me."

One of Tommy's hands flew to his dick. He fisted it while his other hand remained flat against the headboard, the muscles in his arm flexed as he strained to keep his head from hitting the wood with the force of Adam's thrusts.

And then suddenly Tommy's body locked up and he arched on a silent scream, face contorted in pleasure. Come shot from his dick and he clamped down around Adam. Adam gasped and with only a couple more thrusts, came deep inside Tommy with a groan.

After a moment, Adam collapsed down on top of Tommy and kissed the side of his neck as Tommy's arms came up around him. Tommy kissed Adam's cheek and whispered against his skin, "Please never tell me to leave again."

Adam lifted his head and saw the hurt in Tommy's eyes at the memory. Wanting to make that hurt go away, Adam leaned on his elbows and cupped Tommy's face in his hands. "Never. You're mine. You gave yourself to me. I'm sorry I didn't honor that before. From this moment on, though, I promise to."

Tommy swallowed and nodded, eyes shining in the light from the fireplace. He pulled Adam down on top of him again and Adam felt Tommy's arms and legs tighten around him. Adam pressed his face into Tommy's neck, hugging him back.

Eventually, Adam's softened dick slipped from Tommy's ass and Adam rolled onto his side, taking Tommy with him. Tommy straightened one leg and one arm for comfort, but kept the other wrapped around Adam.

"You don't need to hold on so tight," Adam said, a smile curling his lips. "I promise I'm not going anywhere."

Tommy's expression was sheepish as he pulled his face back from Adam's neck to look at him. "I know. I'm just enjoying being allowed to do this again. I missed it this last week."

Adam reached out and pushed Tommy's sweaty hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear. "I did, too." He hesitated, then said, "I have a confession to make."

Tommy looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

"You may have already guessed this by the fact that I don't personally keep slaves—with the exception of you—but I don't believe people should own slaves any more than you do."

Tommy smiled softly. "I had guessed, yes."

Adam nodded. "What you don't know is that when I turned eighteen, I thought to free all the slaves one by one. There was nothing my uncle could do about it since I was of age and the crown prince … or so I thought. I started with Richard because I'd grown up with him. He's like a second father to me in a lot of ways."

Tommy tensed. "What did your uncle do?"

Adam felt cold hate steel through him at the memory. "He put Lane—a household slave I was fond of—to death and told me for every slave I freed, he'd take the life of another."

Tommy gasped. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine having to sit by and watch someone like him wield the kind of power he does over the kingdom I love for as long as you have. Especially not after what he did to you personally."

Adam swallowed and nodded. "It hasn't been easy. My brother and I agreed, though, that our first actions once I take over as king will be to go about freeing all the slaves of the kingdom and overseeing the transition, like you and your father did with your kingdom."

Tommy nodded. "It was a rough at first, but it was worth it."

Adam rubbed his thumb over Tommy's bottom lip and searched his eyes. "Before your confession, when I thought you were truly my slave and your kingdom was lost to you, I was going to free you first, then ask you to be my husband and rule at my side."

Tommy's breath caught in his throat. He was silent for a moment, then said, "I would have said yes."

Heart pounding in Adam's chest, he asked, "Will you still? Be my husband and rule beside me once I am king, I mean."

Tommy's face lit up and he leaned in, pressing his lips to Adam's before pulling back to meet his gaze. "Nothing would make me happier."

Adam exhaled in relief and grinned from ear to ear, pulling Tommy into a tight hug. "You have no idea how happy you've made me. I did not expect this that day we met on the battlefield, but I'm not complaining." He pulled back and cupped the side of Tommy's face, adding, "The only thing I would change is your father's death."

Tommy's eyes flashed with pain. "Me too." He smiled softly and added, "And yes, the last thing I expected the day I knelt before you on that field was to end up in your bed, agreeing to your marriage proposal." The smile dropped from Tommy's face again and he asked, "What are we going to do about our two kingdoms? We can't ask Monte and the rest to sit in exile for over a year until you take the throne. We need to find a solution."

Adam leaned in and brushed a kiss over Tommy's lips before saying, "We will."

Adam had nearly drifted off to sleep with Tommy in his arms, his blond head on Adam's chest, when Taylor burst into Adam's chambers, eyes round with fear.

Immediately Adam sat up, dislodging Tommy.

"What is it?" Adam asked.

Taylor swallowed. "I overheard Lord Randal telling one of the guards to pull Jeffery from the slave quarters and bring him to the stables. I believe he means to force himself on Jeffery. He said it was time Jeffery learn to be a man."

Adam's stomach turned. Those had been the exact words Gregory had used with him the first time, and no doubt used with Randal his first time. It seemed Randal had chosen to follow in the king's footsteps with his perversions.

For a moment, Adam sat frozen, sick with nightmarish memories, until Tommy leapt from the bed and started for Adam's clothing chest at the end of it, barking at a bemused Taylor to find him a sword.

Forcing himself back to the present, Adam climbed from the bed and crossed to Tommy, stopping him from opening the chest. "No."

Tommy's gaze shot to Adam's and there was fear and desperation there. "Don't, Adam. Don't order me to stay behind again. If Randal—"

"He won't," Adam said, already opening the chest himself and grabbing clothing out. "I'll make sure of it, I promise."

Adam pulled his leggings on, even as Tommy said, "But—"

"No," Adam repeated, tying his leggings off. Reaching up, he cupped Tommy's face in his hands and said, "Be smart about this. It will ruin everything you've worked for if you expose yourself now. Trust me and let me do this. Every moment we waste arguing is a moment Jeffery doesn't have."

Tommy looked like he wanted to say more, but he kept his mouth shut and nodded.

Adam let go of him and finished dressing, then headed for the door. Behind him, Tommy said, "Keep him safe. Please."

Adam looked back at him and said, "I swear on my life."

Tommy paced Adam's chambers as he imagined all the things Randal could be doing to Jeffery right then. Adam had to get there in time. He had to. Tommy was so very tempted to don clothing and go after them, but Adam was right. He'd have to expose himself as a king to save Jeffery. He would if he had to, of course, but with Adam already headed there to save him, it would be rather pointless. Still, it made Tommy ill to remain behind.

Minutes later, just as Tommy finally gave in to the urge to go to Jeffery himself, consequences be damned, the chamber door opened and shut again.

"My, my, my," a voice that was very much _not_ Adam's, said. "I can see why Adam is always so anxious to return to chambers."

Tommy froze at the sound of King Gregory's voice, blood running cold. Swallowing hard, he slowly turned to face him, intensely aware of his nakedness and lack of an adequate weapon within reach.

"What are you doing here?" Tommy demanded.

The king clucked his tongue and shook his head as he started for Tommy. "Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your king? Careful, or I might take it as a sign that Adam hasn't brought you in line the way he thinks he has."

Tommy clenched his jaw, holding back the urge to tell the king he was speaking to an equal, not a slave.

Gregory's chuckled, coming to a stop inches from Tommy. "It's killing you to hold your tongue, isn't it? I'm sure there is so much you'd like to say to me."

Tommy's smile was mocking as he said. "Not so much say as do, no."

Gregory threw back his head and laughed, then met Tommy's gaze, his own turning to ice. "The hate in your eyes is going to make this so very, very good."

Tommy swallowed hard, fighting not to show the fear rolling through him in waves. "Make what good?"

Gregory's smile was sinister. "I think you know," he said. "You're older than I usually like my bed partners, but your boyish looks make up for it. You'll do." He reached out, running his knuckles over Tommy's cheek as he spoke the last.

Tommy had to fight not to flinch away. "My master would never allow it."

Gregory's eyebrows shot up. "Do you truly believe that, or do you just wish it?" When Tommy refused to answer, Gregory grabbed Tommy by the throat and pulled him in close. "Either way it does not matter. I am ruler of this kingdom. I can take whatever and whoever I like. _Your master_ has nothing to say about it."

"Maybe one of the other slaves who you've denied an education and who therefore don't know the laws would believe you," Tommy countered, "but I know better. You have no right to do what you are threatening."

Gregory tightened his hold on Tommy's throat, cutting off a little of Tommy's air. Tommy fought to remain still and breathe evenly, knowing that to try to pull away just then would prove fruitless and would show Gregory he was getting to him.

A cruel grin curling his lips, Gregory said, "I do not make threats, slave. I am going to have you. Right now."

Trying another tactic, Tommy said, "My master will be back at any moment. He only stepped out briefly."

"Nice try," Gregory said. "But I know why he left. Jeffery is having another run-in with Randal as we speak. I made sure that sneaky servant of Adam's overheard Randal and the guard speak. You and I have plenty of time."

Tommy's stomach turned, imagining again all the things Randal could be doing to Jeffery right then, and thankful Adam was headed there to stop it. If it meant being raped by the king as a result, so be it.

"Isn't that interesting," Gregory said, head tiling a little as he studied Tommy's face. "The change in your attitude just now. You truly do care about that worthless slave. You'd willingly spread your legs for me just to save him, wouldn't you?"

Tommy's fought down revulsion at the thought of spreading anything for Gregory and said, "I'm just accepting my fate, Your Highness, nothing more."

"Oh no," Gregory said. "No. I'd much prefer you fight. In fact, I insist on it. It will be so much sweeter when I finally sink into your ass if you're fighting me tooth and nail all the way there."

"And if I don't?" Tommy asked, although truthfully, he doubted he could submit without putting up a fight.

"If you don't? Well, let's see," Gregory said, pretending to think about it. A dangerous glint sparked in his eyes as he said a moment later, "Jeffery is how old now? 14? 15? He's almost the right age for me and Randal is getting a bit old. I was going to give Jeffery another year or so to ripen, but I could make do with his boyish body now."

Tommy had to swallow back bile at the thought of Gregory forcing himself on Jeffery. Forcing the words out, Tommy asked, "How hard would you like me to fight, Your Highness?"

"That's the spirit," Gregory said gleefully.

Not waiting for Gregory to make the first move, Tommy clenched his jaw and rammed his knee into Gregory's groin. If the king wanted a fight, Tommy would give it to him.

Gregory let go of him in surprise and doubled over, gasping in pain. "You little—"

"You said you wanted a fight, did you not?" Tommy interjected, wishing again that he was clothed as he dropped into a battle stance. "Maybe you forgot that I'm an accomplished warrior, but I assure you, I have not."

Gregory grinned. "Oh, this is going to be fun."


	13. Chapter 13

Adam scanned the great hall, urgently searching the crowd for any sign of Neil. The feast was still in full swing, the minstrels playing a lively song while everyone present got drunker and more rowdy by the moment. Adam's heart hammered in his chest as he looked for any sign of his brother, fully aware of each second that was slipping away while he stood still, doing nothing. He'd almost given up hope when he finally spotted Neil on the other side of the hall, arms gesturing in what looked like a lively discussion of who was the better swordsman.

Hurrying over, Adam grabbed Neil by the arm and pulled him to the side.

"I need your help," Adam said without preamble, praying Neil wasn't too drunk already to be of any use. "Taylor just came to my chambers and told me Randal has a guard bringing Jeffery to him in the stables. He said he's going to teach him what it means to be a man. I was headed there myself, but then I saw Gregory sneak off toward the royal wing, a look in his eyes I haven't seen for a long time. He's gone after Tommy. I can't…" Adam paused and took a breath. This was the closest Adam had ever come to admitting to Neil what their uncle had done to him. "I can't let him do that to Tommy, Neil."

Neil appeared to sober instantly, his eyes hardening to chips of ice. " Go. Deal with our uncle. I'll take care of Randal."

Adam's gut clenched at what could be happening to Jeffery right then. He was just a boy. "If Randal does anything—"

"I will cut off _whatever_ part of his body that he uses to hurt Jeffery," Neil promised. "You can be sure of it."

Adam clenched his jaw and nodded, not doubting Neil for a second. "Thank you."

Adam turned to go, but paused and turned back when Neil called his name.

"If it gets … messy, I'll have your back with the sovereign," Neil said.

Feeling an outpouring of gratitude for being lucky enough to have a brother who wasn't out to stab him in the back for a chance at the throne himself, Adam nodded his head in acknowledgement and took off for the royal wing.

Adam had no more entered the corridor leading to it than he was set upon by several knights who were known to be loyal to his uncle. Two of them grabbed his arms while two more stood blocking the path.

"We have orders from the king that you are to be kept here."

Despite knowing the knights were known loyalists of his uncle, Adam tried to reason with them. "Do you know what his intentions are? He's going to break one of the sovereign's laws and the four of you are going to be a party to it."

It was obvious the knights were unimpressed.

"We know nothing of the kind," one of the knights blocking his path said. It was Seth, the knight Tommy had stood up to months ago in a nearby corridor when he'd happened upon him forcing himself on Jeffery.

"Then you are fools," Adam said through his teeth. Trying to reason in terms they'd understand, he added, "He is making use of _my_ property. Even his kingship does not give him the right to do that."

"Maybe he just wants to talk with the slave," Roger, the other night blocking Adam's path, sneered, making it obvious he didn't really believe that. It was also obvious he didn't care.

Adam's eyes narrowed and he pulled against the men restraining him. "If you do not let me through this instant, I will remember this when I assume the crown and I will make all of you pay."

Seth smirked as he stepped forward, bringing their faces within inches of each other. "King Gregory will never allow you to take the throne and we both know it."

Done talking, Adam narrowed his eyes at Seth and braced himself. He slammed his head forward into Seth's nose, gritting his teeth against the pain that shot through his head. Seth cursed and stumbled backwards, blood gushing down his face. Using the surprise of the moment to his advantage, Adam yanked his arms free of the other two knights.

Roger stepped forward, sworn drawn and pointed at Adam. Adam jumped back and drew his own sword, bracing himself for an attack. The two knights who had held him drew their swords too, and suddenly they were at a standoff.

A standoff that was broken when a slave came around the corner carrying a carafe of wine. She jumped, startled at the sight of the men with swords drawn and dropped her carafe because of it. It crashed to the floor, sending blood red wine everywhere.

Two of the knights looked away from Adam for an instant and Adam took the opportunity to leap forward and swing, disarming them easily with his own sword. That left him and Roger.

Adam stared hard at him, noting the flash of nervousness in his eyes. Good. Nervousness led to mistakes. A thought proved true an instant later when Roger attacked first. Adam blocked it and swung, wishing he had his shield. He deftly avoided Roger's sword as it swished through the air and countered with a swing of his own. It struck home. The unmistakable feeling of it sinking into flesh made Adam's gut clench. He'd never had to kill any of his own men before. It was even more unpleasant of a feeling than killing the enemy, although that's essentially what Roger had become by choosing Gregory's side.

Pulling his sword free of Roger's gut, Adam waited until Roger crumpled to the floor to turn toward the others, blood smeared sword pointed at them.

"Anyone else?" Adam asked, looking at each of them in turn.

One by one, they all looked down and away, clearly unwilling to give their own lives for an unlawful whim of their king.

"Good choice," Adam said.

Backing away from them, he didn't turn his back or sheathe his sword until he was around the next bend and far enough away that they'd have trouble catching up. Then he turned and bolted for his chambers, fearing his fight with the knights had taken too long.

Coming upon his door, Adam pulled his sword back out from the sheath and pointed it at the guard at his door. "Leave. Now."

The guard wisely did as he was told, hurrying off down the corridor.

As he opened the door, Adam steeled himself against what he might find. What he didn't expect was the sounds of hand to hand combat taking place inside. Rushing into the room, he felt the heavy weight in his gut lift a little at the sight of Tommy alive and well—if a bit bloodied—clearly fighting Gregory for the upper hand.

Gregory lunged for Tommy and Tommy danced to the side, then jumped forward and drove his fist into Gregory's side. It was clear neither of them had seen or heard him enter. Gregory grunted and swung around, fist clenched and aimed at Tommy's head. At the last second, Tommy ducked and came up with a fist of his own, landing a solid punch to Gregory's gut.

"You're going to pay for that," Gregory wheezed, holding his stomach.

Tommy's laugh was humorless. "It's not my fault you're old and slow."

Adam hesitated, not sure whether to intercede or let Tommy beat Gregory to death as it seemed by the gleam in Tommy's eyes that he was intent on doing. It would be so easy to do the latter. Tommy wasn't technically a slave. He was a king in his own right. There wouldn't be consequences for him killing another king in a fair fight.

And then Adam caught sight of Gregory reaching for something under his tunic. A second later metal flashed in the firelight as Gregory held up a dagger, pointing it at Tommy's throat.

"On the bed, slave, face down and legs spread, or I cut your throat wide open."

Crossing the room as quickly and as silently as he could, Adam waited until he was directly behind Gregory to pull his bloody sword from its sheath and poke the tip of it into the center of Gregory's back with the full intention of running him through if Gregory didn't back off.

"Do it and you'll follow him into the afterlife," Adam said, tone deadly.

"You wouldn't dare," Gregory said, dagger still pointed at Tommy.

"Try me," Adam said, pressing the tip in hard enough to poke a hole through Gregory's tunic.

Gregory dropped the knife and relief flashed through Tommy's eyes as their gazes met over Gregory's shoulder, but then something else settled there. Fear.

"He said if I didn't put up a fight and make it good for him, he'd go after Jeffery. He said he's had his eye on him for a while and has just been waiting for him to be old enough."

Forcing down the revulsion he felt at the thought of that, Adam circled around until he was facing Gregory, the tip of his sword pressed to the hollow of Gregory's throat.

Putting himself between the king and Tommy, Adam warned, "You lay a hand on Jeffery, I will cut off your dick."

Gregory smirked, although he couldn't hide the fear that flashed through his eyes. "Empty threats. I'm your king. The sovereign would have your head."

"Let's send for the sovereign, then, shall we? I'm sure she'd be interested in how things are being run here, don't you think?"

The smirk dropped from Gregory's face and his eyes narrowed. "You're playing with fire, boy. Are you sure you're ready for the consequences should things not go your way?"

Adam pressed the tip in a little, noting Gregory's intake of breath with a sick satisfaction. "Are you?"

Gregory glared at him for a long minute before saying through clenched teeth. "This isn't over. By the time I'm through with you and those you care about, you'll gladly turn your sex slave over for my use in order to make your suffering stop."

Adam's gut clenched but he kept his fear of Gregory's threat in check and said, "Now who's leveling empty threats, hmm?" Letting his sword drop to just below Gregory's belt, Adam pressed it in enough to make his point and said, "And just to be clear, if that thing gets near anyone without their permission from here on out, it'll be the last time you use it for anything."

"I could have you beheaded for this," Gregory hissed.

"You could try," Adam said with a casualness he didn't quite feel. "But then we'd be back to the sovereign, since you can't do so without her permission, and we've already established how far that would get you."

Gregory looked past Adam to Tommy. "This is only a temporary reprieve. I will have you and your savior here will be the one to turn you over. Remember that the next time he ruts into your body."

After Gregory left, Tommy exhaled loudly and crossed to the bed, sitting shakily down on it. All was silent for a moment as Adam sheathed his sword and crossed to the chamber door to bolt it, something he rarely ever did.

When he crossed back and sat down next to Tommy, Tommy swallowed hard and said, "Jeffery—"

"I sent Neil after him."

Tommy blinked. "You did?"

"I saw my uncle in the great hall. He was headed this way with the same look on his face that he used to get when he'd come to my chambers at night. I knew right off what he was going to do. Thank the gods that Neil was still at the feast. I sent him after Jeffery so I could get back here to you. I didn't think I'd be in time."

"I would have killed him before I let him rape me," Tommy said with conviction. Adam didn't doubt it for a minute, dagger or no dagger.

"I know. I feared I'd find you dead when I opened the door."

Tommy shot him a sidelong look. "You don't have much confidence in my ability to defend myself, then."

"No, I don't have much confidence in my uncle's ability to fight fair. The dagger he had hidden on him was only the start, I'm sure. There were knights lying in wait to stop me when I started back through the corridor to get here. I'm sure they weren't the only ones he had on hand to turn things in his favor if need be. I'll bet there were some within shouting distance of the guard at the door should he need help subduing you."

Tommy nodded. "You're probably right."

Adam reached out and touched a finger to Tommy's bottom lip. Tommy flinched at the pain.

"I'll get a cloth."

Tommy waited while Adam wet a cloth and brought it over. Turning toward Adam, Tommy studied his face while Adam tended to the cut on his lip and one near his eye.

"This is going to swell," Adam said, gently dabbing at the corner of his eye.

"Won't be the first time," Tommy said flatly. He could have cared less about a swollen black eye. He cared a lot more about Adam. "You could have lost the crown tonight. Because of me."

Adam's gaze met Tommy's. "You mean more to me than a crown, and besides, you were right. I give him too much power. There's little he can do without proof of my ineptness, which doesn't exist. If he were to bring a complaint to the sovereign about tonight, it would be his word against mine, and while he might be king, from what I've heard of our new sovereign, I believe she would be smart enough to see through his words to the greed beneath."

Tommy reached up and squeezed Adam's hand. "Regardless, he is still king for the time being. He leveled threats that he's more than capable of following through with. Something needs to be done."

Tommy's breath caught in his throat as Adam's lips curled into a slow, cold smile. "Yes. And something will be done. Tonight."

Adam watched from the shadows of the changing screen along one wall of Gregory's chambers, Tommy at his side, as the king entered the room and predictably headed for the carafe of wine and plate of cheese left for him on the table near the fire. His uncle never had been able to resist the call of wine. Cold satisfaction curled through his gut as he watched Gregory pour himself a goblet-full and drink it down.

Glancing at Tommy, Adam nodded and together, they stepped out of the shadows.

"Hello, Uncle," Adam said conversationally.

Gregory tensed and glanced toward his sheathed sword, leaning against the wall by the door, where he'd left it upon entering. He made a move toward it, but Tommy stepped in his path, legs set apart, one hand loose at his side, the other on the hilt of his own sword, which Adam had given back to him after cleaning him up earlier. Tommy stared at Gregory, eye bruised and swollen, silently daring him to try it.

Gregory's eyes widened and his head whipped around to Adam. "You would arm a slave? Are you mad? Once I tell the sovereign of this—"

"You won't be able to tell the sovereign anything," Adam interrupted. "And even if you could, it wouldn't matter." Looking over at Tommy, Adam asked, "Would you like the pleasure, or shall I?"

Tommy smirked and said to Adam, "I think I would enjoy telling him."

"Tell me what?" Gregory said, looking between them.

"I am not now, nor have I ever been a slave of Vox," Tommy said. "It was all a ruse to take your kingdom down from the inside. Of course, now that Adam's in the picture, that plan has been altered a bit. Instead, I'm just here to take _you_ down."

"That is preposterous," Gregory scoffed. "The messenger—"

"The messenger lied," Tommy said, with obvious enjoyment. "It's a bit hard to find trustworthy subjects to do your bidding when you enslave their children."

Gregory shot Adam an incredulous look. "And you what? Took his word for it? Are you truly that naïve?"

Adam shook his head. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, but I love and trust him. He could have ended me a hundred times over. He didn't. I even gave him the opportunity one night to lay siege to the castle with the army he has assembled just out of sight in the woods. He didn't."

"Because there is no army!" Gregory shouted. "He's playing you, nephew, and you fell for it like the incompetent lackwit I've always known you are."

"Shall we call on Queen Brooke to confirm? Because she will," Tommy said coolly.

Realization dawned in Gregory's eyes. "Queen Brooke is here for you, not a treaty."

Tommy nodded. "She has aligned herself with Tousma, yes."

Gregory looked over at Adam. "And you're just going to stand by and let them take your kingdom from you?"

"No," Adam said patiently, relishing the moment and what was about to happen, even if Gregory didn't know it yet. "No, I am going to marry him and we are going to unite our kingdoms and rule them together."

"A coregency?" Gregory asked, once again incredulous. "Do you know how rarely those work out? There's a reason for that. Someone always gets power hungry."

Adam tilted his head a little and said, "Yes. You would know about such things, wouldn't you?"

Gregory's eyes narrowed and his hands fisted at his sides. "I won't stand for it. I _will_ find a way to keep you from the throne and from destroying everything I've built since your father's death."

Feeling nothing but a dead sort of cold steal through him, Adam said, "That will be a bit hard from the grave, don't you think?"

"What are you—" Gregory broke off, gaze shifting to the goblet of wine he'd just drank. The color drained from his face. Locking gazes with Adam again, he said, "You wouldn't. It would be murder."

"I choose to look at it as self defense," Adam countered, refusing to give the tiny twinge of conscience telling him his uncle might be right a chance to take hold. "After all, you did threaten me and all those I care about in my chambers earlier tonight."

"That still does not give you the right to kill me!" Gregory said, expression full of impotent fury.

"No," Tommy interjected, "but as king of Tousma—which you have unjustly subjected to your rule since you didn't give proper notice to the sovereign— _I_ have the right."

The poison started to take effect then, right about when Sutan had told Adam it would. Adam watched dispassionately as his uncle grabbed at his chest, gasping for air.

Stepping forward, Tommy dropped his voice a notch and said, "Just so there is no doubt as you take your last breath who it is exactly who is ending your life, Adam poisoned your drink. It seems he and Neil have had a plan in place to kill you all along should it become necessary."

Adam walked over and stopped next to Tommy. "What you tried to do to Tommy and Jeffery tonight and what you threatened to do to everyone I care about? That made it necessary."

Tommy smirked coldly. "Want to know something ironic? You made it all possible by forcing me to become Adam's sex slave. Without that, Adam and I might never have spoken again, let alone joined forces to take you out."

"You won't get away with this," Gregory gasped, desperate eyes sliding to Randal, who lay sleeping on the bed, oblivious to what was happening right in front of him.

Adam chuckled. "He won't be much help. After Neil was through beating him for trying to rape Jeffery, Sutan gave him an elixir to help him sleep despite the pain from bruises and broken bones. By the time he awakens, your corpse will be cold on the floor."

"When the sovereign finds out—"

" _If_ the sovereign finds out your death was not the result of a bad heart," Tommy interrupted, "She and all of Vox will be led to believe it was I who poured the vial of poison into your carafe, which given the situation, is an entirely just action on my part."

Finally looking properly terrified, Gregory dropped to his knees and then one hand, the other still clawing at his heart as if he was trying to dig it out of his chest to stop the pain. "Please … no…"

At last feeling a little of the sick satisfaction he'd been hoping for as he watched his uncle's life end at his hands while he begged for help, Adam reached down and hauled him up a little by his tunic so that he could look him in the eye. "Don't worry, Uncle. I'll show you the same mercy you showed me all those years ago. The same mercy you showed the subjects of Vox every day of your reign." Leaning in, Adam got right in his face and finished in a low, cold voice, "Which is none at all."

With that, he shoved Gregory away and turned, heading for the chamber doors, Tommy by his side. Adam had intended to stay until the end, until Gregory took his last breath, but he found he had no desire to. The deed was done. That was all that mattered.

Tommy woke with a start and frowned, looking around Adam's chambers, trying to figure out what had woken him up. And then it sounded again. A horn in the distance. And then one closer. And then the warning bells on the watch tower rang.

Tommy jumped out of bed for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Adam close behind, just as pounding sounded at the door.

Adam crossed quickly to it and threw the bolt open, stepping aside as a guard quickly entered.

"What's going on," Adam asked, already headed toward the trunk with his clothes.

Tommy found his leggings on the floor and pulled them on, earning an odd look from the guard that he couldn't be bothered with.

"We've been ambushed. Queen Brooke's knights have taken up arms against our knights in the great hall and there's an army descending on the castle," the guard said. "Lord Terrance sent men out to meet them and sent me to tell you and your brother that Brooke's men have control of the gatehouse. We can't lift the bridge."

Adam looked over at Tommy and for a split second, Tommy worried Gregory's accusation that Tommy was deceiving Adam would make Adam doubt him, but he only looked alarmed, which was exactly how Tommy felt.

"Is the army outside the gates displaying colors or a coat of arms?" Tommy asked.

The guard looked over at him then and blinked, probably wondering why he thought he should be interfering in affairs of state. "Um—"

"Answer him," Adam barked.

Jus then Taylor burst into the chambers. "Adam—"

"I know already," Adam said, turning back to the guard. "Well?"

"Yes," the guard said, glancing at Tommy as he said, "Tousma's colors and coat of arms." The guard paused, then added, "There is more."

Adam motioned Taylor over to help him with his armor as he prompted the guard, "Yes?"

"The king is…" The guard trailed off and cleared his throat, then continued. "He's dead and his husband is missing. A runner was sent to rouse the king when the first horn blew and he was found dead on the floor. It seems you are now the king."

Tommy watched Adam's expression, pleased he kept his face carefully blank. "All right. Protect Princess Jenifer and the children at all costs, understand?"

The guard nodded his head and excused himself.

As soon as he was gone, Tommy started for his sword, which he'd propped against the mantle when they'd returned to chambers the night before. "Where is my armor?"

"Surely you don't mean to fight," Taylor said, sounding shocked. "If you so much as injure anyone, you'll forfeit your life."

Tommy shook his head. "I don't have time to explain, but I'll be fine. I promise."

"You're right, you will, because you're going to stay put," Adam said with finality.

Tommy narrowed his gaze on Adam and said, "You cannot keep me here against my will."

"It's too dangerous out there," Adam argued. "My knights do not know the truth yet, and with your kingdom attacking, they will treat you as the enemy."

Sheathed sword in hand, Tommy stalked over to Adam and said firmly, "I gave you control, but there are limits, Adam, and this is one of them. I will not stay behind while my kingdom mistakenly attacks. Especially not when I can stop blood from being needlessly shed. If you think I would, then you don't know me at all. Now, tell me where you hid away my armor or I swear I will go out there without it."

Adam glared at him for a long moment before looking over at Taylor. "Get his armor out of the storage cupboard."

Taylor, looking beyond confused, nodded his head and left the room, coming back a moment later with Tommy's armor.

"Help him into it while I go consult with Neil," Adam said. Looking at Tommy, Adam added, "Meet up with me in the corridor outside his chambers when you're ready."

Tommy nodded. Adam hesitated, then grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled him in for a hard, deep kiss. Afterwards, he said against Tommy's lips, "If you die out there, I will bargain with the gods to bring you back to life so that I can kill you myself."

Tommy smiled up at him. "I love you, too."

Adam huffed and rolled his eyes, but a smile curled the corner of his lips briefly before he schooled the expression into one of a proper king and stalked off.

As soon as Taylor had the last of the armor secured, Tommy was out of the room and down the corridor, half expecting to find Adam had just been placating him and had already headed out. He was pleased to find he hadn't. He was not, however, pleased to hear the argument taking place.

"I like him well enough, but are you sure, Adam? Maybe this was his plan all along."

"It wasn't, but I don't blame you for wondering," Tommy said, stepping around the corner. "I can only guess Monte and Brooke believe for some reason that I'm under duress and decided the best course of action was to attack before Vox has time to mount a defense. Either way, I'll put a stop to this. I swear it."

Neil studied him for a long moment before his shoulders relaxed minutely, tentatively taking Tommy at his word. "You have no need to explain yourself to me, Your Highness."

Tommy shook his head. "I believe we agreed that day in chambers to keep things informal between us. I still want that. I hope you do, too."

Neil nodded. "Very well."

"Let's go," Adam said.

The scene when they reached the great hall was utter chaos. Brooke's knights were attacking Vox's under her direction. She herself was currently across the room, standing on a table in full armor, shouting orders.

Everywhere Tommy looked, metal collided with metal and blood seeped from wounds. It didn't look like anyone was dead yet, which Tommy considered a minor miracle. He needed to get to Brooke and he needed to now if there was to be any chance of keeping the attack from turning deadly.

Ignoring Adam's shout for him to stay behind him, Tommy jumped into the fray, fighting his way through the crowd until he was at her side.

Looking up at her, he shouted, "Brooke! This isn't necessary! The king is dead!"

Brooke looked down at him, her eyes widening, probably at the fact that he was in full armor and wielding a sword. "What—"

"Call them off and I'll explain!" Tommy shouted.

Brooke's eyes narrowed. "How do I know you're not under duress?"

"Dammit, Brooke, quit being stubborn! I would not be armed if this were a ruse."

Brooke pressed her lips together and scanned the room until her eyes settled on Adam, who was shouting orders to his men to stand down.

"He is king now?"

Tommy nodded. "He is."

Brooke stared hard at Tommy for another minute, then motioned for one of her knights to sound the horn. As soon as he did, the fighting subsided and Brooke shouted, "Put down your swords! The battle is over. Gregory is dead."

Cheers went up and Tommy exhaled in relief as Brooke sent runners out to the gatehouse to relay her orders.

With help from a couple of knights, Brooke climbed down off the table and said, "Do not look so relieved. You still need to convince Monte. He instigated this ambush. He believes you are under duress and that Adam has something he's holding over you."

Tommy cursed and took off for the doors leading outside, intent on getting to his horse. Adam shouted his name but all Tommy did was call back that he was going out to find Monte. Luckily Jeffery already had Wild saddled for his morning exercise, so with a quick exclamation that he was glad to see Jeffery was alright—Neil had come by Adam's chambers the night before to tell them he'd gotten there in time—Tommy swung up into the saddle and took off.

He started for the bridge, shouting for it to be kept open. At first, no one listened and it kept going up at Terrance's order now that Brooke's men had returned control to him, but then Adam shouted from somewhere behind him for Terrance to lower it again. Looking beyond it at the knights fighting on horseback in the field, Tommy urged Wild to go faster. He made it to the bridge before it was fully down again and didn't even consider stopping to wait for it. No one was going to lose a life if he could help it, and right then, from the looks of the battle taking place, every second counted.

With Adam screaming at him to wait, Tommy jumped the end of the bridge. Wild landed gracefully on the dirt road that led up to it. He pointed Wild in the direction of the worst of the fighting and scanned the battlefield searching for Monte as Wild galloped. Tommy located Monte right in the middle of everything and urged Wild in that direction.

When he was within shouting distance, he called out, "Monte! Stop!"

Monte glanced over at him, relief at seeing that Tommy was all right written all over his face, until he looked past him and his expression hardened again. Turning away, he started shouting orders at the knights.

Tommy glanced back and saw Adam bearing down on him, a thunderous expression on his face. Tommy turned back, cursing Adam's protectiveness. It was going to make this twice as difficult as it had to be.

Men raced past Tommy, ignoring Tommy's orders to stand down and descended on Adam. Looking from Monte to Adam, who was more or less on his own fighting a group of Tousma knights that had him surrounded, Tommy clenched his jaw and reined Wild in. Turning him around, he made for Adam, knowing that even if his men wouldn't listen to him because Monte had obviously warned them he was under duress, they also wouldn't engage him in battle.

Before he could get back to Adam, though, five Vox knights broke off from battles they were fighting with Tousma knights and came at Tommy. Suddenly finding himself in a fight for his life, Tommy let go of Wild's reins and lifted his sword.

Tommy fought them off, defending his position as best he could until Monte managed to get to him with reinforcements. Blocking the sword of a Vox knight, Tommy shouted to Monte, "Tell them to stand down!"

"I cannot," Monte said. "Not until I know you are safe and free from the king's control."

"The king is dead!" Tommy said, urging Wild around with knee signals as he blocked an attack from the rear with his shield. "Adam is king now and we are no longer at war!"

Monte pressed his lips together and jabbed his sword into the leg of a Vox knight, causing him to fall from his horse, bleeding.

"And what if you are saying all this under duress?" Monte asked as the other Tousma knights moved in between Monte and Tommy and the Vox knights.

Tommy stared straight into Monte's eyes as he said, "I swear on both my mother's and sister's graves that I am free and that Adam is not using anything against me to gain my cooperation."

Monte stared hard at him, then signaled for David nearby to sound the horn. David lifted it to his lips and it blasted through the air just as Neil rode out on horseback with a contingent of knights flanking him on each side.

Monte shouted for his men to stand down and Tommy swung his horse around to locate Adam, a smile on his face, elated everything was finally over, only to yell out Adam's name in horror as a knight wearing Tousma's colors drove a sword into him from behind.

Breaking into a gallop, Tommy closed the distance between them even as Adam slid from his horse and fell face first on the ground. Jumping off Wild's back, Tommy ripped his helmet off and tossed it aside. Heart in his throat, Tommy knelt in the grass next to Adam.

He could hear shouts for someone to fetch Sutan as Neil rode over, then Neil barking orders for the Tousma knight be taken into custody and for the rest of Vox's knights to stand down, the battle was over.

As Tommy reached out and pulled Adam's helmet from his head with shaky hands, he was vaguely aware of Monte refusing to turn the knight responsible over and threatening to sound the horn of war again if Neil didn't back down.

That snapped Tommy out of his terror that Adam was dead and he looked up. "Monte, _I_ am king, and I am telling you to turn him over right now or I swear I will run him through myself right here."

Monte looked at Tommy, startled. "You don't mean—"

"I do," Tommy said forcefully. "I witnessed him attack Adam _after_ the horn was sounded. He maliciously ran him through anyway." Glaring at the knight, who Tommy didn't even recognize, leading him to wonder if he was a mercenary Monte had commissioned along the way, Tommy said, "If you have killed him, your life will be forfeit. Know that."

"Tommy!" Monte exclaimed, obviously too shocked to remember to address him properly in front of so many lower ranking noblemen.

Tommy ignored him as the men with Neil climbed from their horses and grabbed the knight, dragging him away.

Turning his attention back to Adam, Tommy said, "Adam? Can you hear me?"

Neil climbed off his horse and slid to his knees in the grass on the other side of Adam. Pulling off his helmet, he asked quietly, "Is he—"

Tommy looked over at Neil and shook his head. "He can't be."

"I'm not," Adam said, voice muffled by the ground he was face down on.

Tommy gasped in relief and had to restrain himself from gathering Adam to him. He didn't want to move him until Sutan had checked him over.

"You're alive. Thank the gods," Tommy said.

Adam turned his head to the side and said, "I'm in pain. Get me up?"

"You're not moving until Sutan looks you over," Tommy said.

Adam snorted. "I thought I gave you the orders."

Tommy smirked down at him, uncaring who heard. "Only behind closed doors. We're in a wide open field right now."

Adam snorted, the sound pained but amused. "Remind me to remedy that as soon as I can move again."

Tommy chuckled, the sound born as much from relief that Adam sounded all right despite the blood seeping from his chain mail as from the joke itself.

Glancing over at Neil and smiling at the relief on Neil's face as well, Tommy said to Adam, "I will."

It was a nearly midday before Adam was stitched closed, cleaned up, and standing on the stone platform of the king's throne in the great hall. Tommy had tried to make him lie down and rest, but Adam was having none of it, swearing he was fine and that it was just a flesh wound. Reluctantly, Sutan had backed him up, although he made a point to express concern that Adam not push too far, that even though it only cut through the outermost part of his side, it could still bleed a lot if the stitches broke.

Adam wouldn't hear of it, though. The king was dead and he needed to make the announcement and officially declare himself king so that Vox wouldn't think him a weak leader. Tommy hadn't liked it, but he understood, which was why he was currently standing at Adam's side, ready to put a steadying arm around him at a moment's notice should Adam start to feel ill.

"Citizens of Vox," Adam said to the room at large, "As most of you have heard by now, my uncle, King Gregory, died in his chambers last night. He was found this morning. It appears to have been his heart."

Murmurs went up throughout the great hall.

Waiting until they died down, Adam said, "This leaves the kingdom in need of a king, and since I am the next in line, I am appointing myself. Of course, the sovereign will make it official, but until then, I will assume all duties expected of a king." Glancing at Tommy, Adam continued, "And my first order of business is to right a grave wrong done to King Thomas Ratliff and all of Tousma." Turning back to the crowd, Adam explained, "It appears King Gregory failed to send a declaration of our victory over Tousma to the sovereign, making King Thomas' enslavement and that of his people unjust and highly illegal. As such, I am officially declaring the battle that day a stalemate and returning King Thomas's medallion and his kingdom to him."

Tommy stepped forward and ducked his head for Adam to place the medallion around his neck. Once it was in place, Tommy looked down at it with a sigh of relief. It was over. He was free of the subterfuge and could openly rule again. He looked up at Adam and smiled in gratitude.

"Thank you."

Adam bowed low, then straightened and said, "Thank you for calling a halt to the attack today." Looking out at the crowd, Adam said, "All of Vox should be aware of how close we came to being conquered by Tousma. We were unprepared and their numbers were far superior. King Thomas could have easily taken us over as revenge for what my uncle did. Instead he showed compassion and understanding, neither of which Vox showed him. I expect you all to treat him with the reverence due his station and the gratitude he's earned from you through his actions this day."

More murmurs rose from the crowd until someone shouted, "All hail King Thomas!"

The sentiment was echoed by another, and then another, until the whole crowd was chanting it.

Tommy smiled his appreciation, although inside he had a hard time stomaching it from certain faces in the crowd he recognized as people who had either scorned him during his enslavement or outright threatened him.

Adam clapped his hands together after a moment, silencing everyone. "In honor of this day, I declare a continuation of the feast last night and invite King Thomas and Queen Brooke to stay on for at least the next week."

Tommy would be staying on a lot longer than that, but they had decided to wait a few days before announcing their engagement in order to give both their kingdoms time to digest all that had already happened that day.

That in mind, Tommy bowed and said, "I accept."

Brooke, who had been standing off to the side and a couple of steps down, stepped up onto the platform and bowed also. "I also accept."

Once the rest of the formalities were out of the way, Tommy leaned in toward Adam a little and said, "You need rest. Let me take you back to your chambers. If you're worried about appearing weak, I'm fine with everyone thinking we're sneaking off for a tryst."

Adam smiled at him, but the expression was marred by pain. "It's that obvious, hmm?"

"To me it is," Tommy said.

Adam sighed. "All right. Lead the way."

Once they made it to chambers, Adam collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily. Not waiting for Adam to do it himself, Tommy walked over and untied his tunic, lifting it out of the way to check his stitches.

Cursing at the fact that one of them was torn and bleeding, Tommy strode back across the room and opened the door, telling the guard outside it, "Fetch Sutan."

When he closed the door again, Tommy said, "You are not getting out of that bed the rest of the day. I don't care what you say."

Adam chuckled. "You forget. We're behind closed doors. I'm in charge here."

Tommy rolled his eyes and crossed back to the bed to help Adam out of his leggings and tunic.

Pulling the blanket up over him, Tommy said, "So spank me when you're better. In the meantime, I'm assuming command and you will do as I say or face the consequences."

"Oh, and what might these consequences be?" Adam asked, amusement in his voice.

Tommy smiled slyly. "I'll make you wait until our wedding night to bed me again as is custom."

"You wouldn't," Adam said in mock horror.

Trying to keep the smile off his face, Tommy nodded and said as seriously as he could pull off with both of them nearly laughing, "I would. I have my virtue to consider, not to mention the bad example it would set for my subjects to see me behaving so promiscuously."

Adam chuckled. "I'd say your virtue is safe with me, but well, we both know that's a lie."

Tommy laughed. "To say the least." Glancing over at the carafe of water Taylor had refreshed at some point, Tommy asked, "Are you thirsty? I could get you a drink of water."

Not waiting for Adam's answer, Tommy started to rise, only to have Adam grab his wrist and yank him back down. Tommy _oomphed_ and Adam groaned in pain as Tommy fell half on top of him.

"Was that completely necessary? Sutan will have both our heads if there's even more stitches ripped now, you know," Tommy admonished, although he was having a hard time staying irritated in the face of the blinding smile curving Adam's lips.

"Completely necessary," Adam said, expression sobering. "I haven't had a kiss from you since early this morning. That must be rectified posthaste."

Tommy huffed, even as he leaned down and pressed his lips to Adam's. The kiss quickly turned heated and Tommy opened his mouth to Adam's tongue as Adam cupped the back of Tommy's head.

When the kiss ended, Tommy pulled back enough to stare down into Adam's eyes and said quietly, "I was so scared when that knight ran you through. I thought I had lost you."

"I heard what you said to him. You were going to kill him if I had been dead. Would you have really?"

"In a heartbeat," Tommy said with total conviction. "I might anyway. Of course, I think I have to get in line behind Neil. He looked like he wanted to behead the man on the spot."

Adam smiled softly. "I'm lucky to have a brother like him." He leaned up and brushed his lips over Tommy's, then lay back against the pillow again. "I'm even luckier to have you. Thank you for not giving up on me when I was being an ass."

Tommy blinked back moisture in his eyes and said, "Thank you for forgiving me my many lies."

Adam sighed and reached up with one hand, threading his fingers through Tommy's.

Bringing their joined hands to rest together on his chest, Adam declared, "No more apologizing for the past or dwelling on it for either of us. We start fresh from here."

Tommy squeezed Adam's hand and smiled, heart filled to bursting with love for the man he was going to spend the rest of his life with. "That is an order I will gladly follow."


	14. Chapter 14

Tommy walked up to the door to Gregory's former chambers and took a deep breath. Queen Sasha—the sovereign of Ubertas—had taken up residence there upon her arrival. After bowing low in respect, the guard who stood watch ignored him in favor of staring down the length of the corridor in deference to his station. Tommy's hands were sweaty and his stomach lurched as he wondered why she had wanted to meet with him—and with all the others—in private.

She had arrived just before nightfall yesterday for an unannounced visit, making the messenger Brooke had sent the day before Gregory's death unnecessary. Apparently word about the battle between Vox and Tousma and Tousma's supposed surrender to Vox had made its way back to Queen Sasha, and instead of sending a messenger to inquire why she hadn't been informed of the outcome, she had decided to surprise Vox by coming to see what was going on herself. She hadn't even sent a messenger ahead to announce her arrival.

Two weeks, Tommy thought to himself as he stared at the door. It had only been two weeks since he'd been there, at that door, about to enter the chambers where he and Adam planned to kill Gregory, but it felt like a lot longer. So much had happened since then.

The day after taking the throne, Adam had abolished slavery in Vox and, along with Neil, had set about the task of restructuring the kingdom to accommodate the newly freed men and women, often with council from Tommy on what had worked and what hadn’t in his kingdom. Even with the benefit of experience, though, it had been rough going, a much larger portion of the population resistant to it than Tommy had had to face in Tousma. Tensions were high as a result, and after only a few days, Tommy had sent Monte on the day and a half journey back to Lootus, both to bring word to them of Tousma's freedom from Vox's rule, and to bring back a contingent of servants willing to help out with everyday tasks that were falling through the cracks as a result.

Tommy knew it boiled down to the fact that Tousma had been in a much more peaceful state of existence as a kingdom when the transition had taken place than Vox was, due to the type of ruler Tommy's father had been, versus the type of ruler Gregory had been. True, Adam was king now, but he'd barely had time to take a deep breath since assuming the throne, let alone set the mood for the kingdom through action.

Personally, Tommy thought maybe Adam should have waited a month or two to undertake such a complicated task, but he fully understood Adam's need to abolish all things that reminded him of Gregory's reign and cruelty, so after giving Adam his opinion when Adam had asked, Tommy held his tongue and did his best to help Adam and Neil through the chaos that followed.

When, after a mere week of high tension, fights started to break out, Adam and Tommy had decided to announce their engagement, hoping to distract everyone with it. Thankfully, it worked for the most part, and even though they had yet to set a date, Erus had erupted into a flurry of activity to prepare for the upcoming ceremony.

Next to the door, the guard quietly cleared his throat, interrupting Tommy's train of thought. Tommy glanced at him, but the guard was still staring straight ahead, gaze fixed on the corridor, pretending not to notice Tommy's hesitance.

Looking back at the door, Tommy took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in," came a light, airy voice from inside.

Tommy entered and closed the door behind him, unsure if he should cross to the middle of the room or stay where he was. "You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?"

He wasn't the first person she'd called to her chambers, or even close to the first. After the morning meal, she had started sending for all the royalty from Vox, Tousma and Solvo who were present in the castle, one after another, to meet with her in private. As close as Tommy could tell, he was the second to last to be summoned. The only other person left was Adam.

Queen Sasha turned around from the window she'd been staring out and smiled at him. "King Thomas. You needn't look so nervous. I don't bite."

Tommy smiled back, some of the tension leaving his shoulders at the friendly expression on her face. Queen Sasha was beautiful, with her heart-shaped face, her dark brown eyes and her cute nose that scrunched a little when she smiled. It was hard not be taken in by her.

"I'll keep that in mind," Tommy said lightly.

Queen Sasha's smile widened. She gestured toward a couple of chairs near the fireplace and said, "Come. Sit."

As he passed it, Tommy couldn't help the way his eyes drifted to the spot on the floor where they had left Gregory struggling for his last breaths. A cold chill ran through his body, but he shrugged it off as he sat facing the sovereign.

"Before we get started," Queen Sasha said, "I would like to offer my condolences on your father's death. I met him a few times when I was still a princess. He was a good man."

Gut-wrenching sorrow temporarily stole Tommy's breath, reminding him that he'd never been allowed a proper mourning period to adjust to his father's death.

Deciding right then wasn't the time to start, though, he pushed down the feelings and said quietly, "Thank you. He was."

After a moment of silence, Queen Sasha cleared her throat and asked, "Shall we get to the matter at hand?"

Tommy nodded. "What do you require from me?"

"Answers," Queen Sasha replied.

"Answers about what?"

Queen Sasha studied him for a long moment, her gaze taking in his closely cut sides, the fringe of hair falling over one side of his face, and finally, the sex slave piercing still in his ear. "I would have thought you would want to be rid of all reminders of your supposed slavery as soon as you were able."

Tommy shrugged, not wanting to explain his reasons for keeping his piercing to Queen Sasha when he hadn't even explained it to Adam yet. Finally, he settled on saying, "No disrespect intended, Your Majesty, but it's … a private matter between Adam and I."

"Ahh," Queen Sasha said, eyes sharp and knowing. "I'll leave it be, then, and move on to the next matter at hand. You took an awfully big risk, doing what you did. If your chieftain hadn't been able to intercept the messenger sent to announce Vox's victory, or if he had betrayed you by not even trying, you would have doomed yourself to a life of slavery."

"I had no other choice, Your Majesty. My kingdom was depending on me, and I trust Monte with my life. I knew he wouldn't turn on me."

Queen Sasha studied him for a long moment, a glint of envy in her eyes. "You are indeed a lucky man, then. Not many can say that once you reach positions of power like ours. I believe the late King Gregory can attest to that."

Tommy blinked, carefully keeping his expression neutral, although he had the feeling she wasn't falling for it for a minute. "Your Majesty?"

Queen Sasha's gaze sharpened. "Do not play games with me, Thomas. I am well aware his death was not of natural causes."

Tommy swallowed. "If I may, what do you intend to do about it?"

"Put his killer on trial and sentence him to death if so warranted, of course," Queen Sasha said blandly, as if discussing the weather on a beautiful summer day among many beautiful summer days.

Tommy felt panic well up inside him at the thought of Adam dying. But no, the plan was that Tommy would take the blame if need be, given he couldn't be put to death. He had been Gregory's equal since the end of the battle at Reus hadn't been announced, meaning Vox and Tousma had in theory still been at war when Gregory died, making Tommy's actions—if he had actually killed Gregory—completely justified.

"It baffles me how the killer has been able to stay hidden this long," Queen Sasha said, for all appearances oblivious to Tommy's fear for Adam. "Are all efforts being made to locate him?"

Tommy blinked, completely confused. "I'm sorry?"

Queen Sasha cocked her head to the side a little and explained patiently, "Randal. It's been what? A week and a half? In your estimation, are all efforts being made to find him?"

Tommy's mind raced as he tried to figure out what was going on. He had been sure she knew the truth, but now she was asking about the whereabouts of Randal? Who was apparently enough of a coward to have gone into hiding the minute he'd found his husband dead?

Before Tommy could formulate an answer, Queen Sasha said, "You agree, do you not, that he is the logical choice when one considers foul play in the king's death, given his disappearance and the fact that the night before he attempted to rape a slave? It's just too bad that not much can be done about the assault, or about the other incidents I've been informed of, including the time he tried to cut off that same slave's hand unjustly. Murdering a king, though, _that_ I can do something about."

Tommy's eyes widened a little, understanding dawning. It was clear by the look in her eyes that she knew who had really killed Gregory. It was also clear that she had no problem overlooking that and bringing to justice a truly wretched man who would not get much of a punishment for his many crimes otherwise, the laws of the land being what they were.

Finally, Tommy nodded. "I agree. He is the logical choice. As for every effort being made to find him, yes. That I can attest to."

And he could. No matter that Adam couldn't punish Randal with much, he was vehement that Randal be punished as harshly as allowed under law for attempting to rape Jeffery. It irritated the both of them to no end that they couldn't seem to track Randal down. Adam and Tommy had come to the conclusion after the first few days that someone was protecting Randal, someone Randal probably had something on. It was the only explanation for why he hadn't been found. Randal was a coward and a sniveling idiot. There was no way he was cunning enough to evade them the way he seemed to be.

Queen Sasha nodded her head. "I will talk with Adam about it, of course, but while I'm here, I shall lend him several of my best knights to help with the pursuit. If Randal isn't found before I leave, I will hand down a decree to kill him on sight once he is found."

She shifted in her chair and said, "Moving on. I am told you and Adam would like to marry and unify your kingdoms. You intend to rule as coregents?"

Clearing his throat, Tommy said, "Yes. We intend make Vox and Tousma regions that we split our time between inside the new kingdom formed by our marriage. There is only a day and a half ride between the two strongholds, the path of which will be safely at the heart of our kingdom once the merge takes place. Adam has already appointed Neil chieftain of Vox, and put him in charge of the day to day responsibilities whenever we are in Tousma, and my chieftain, Monte, will do the same in Tousma whenever we are here in Vox."

Queen Sasha looked pleased with that answer. "You have thought this out, then. That is good." Her expression turned intent. "Coregencies are a tricky thing, though. Throughout our realm's history, more than one have failed. How do I know this will not happen with you and Adam, which would force me to intervene and sort out the mess it creates?"

Tommy held her gaze and said with complete confidence, "All I can do is promise you it won't. We have also already agreed that whenever there is a dispute between us on how to handle any particular issue, whoever's former kingdom it involves the most will make the ultimate decision."

Queen Sasha looked at him consideringly for a long moment, before finally nodding her head. "Then let it be so. I will be staying on here for four more days. Discuss it with Adam, but unless you want to wait several months for the next time I'm able to make the journey back here, the ceremony will have to occur before I leave."

Tommy's eyes widened a little. "Preparations are already being made," he said, "but we hadn't set a date yet. I have no idea how far along the household is with them, especially with the added confusion from slavery being abolished."

Queen Sasha nodded. "I realize it is not ideal. I know you've brought over servants from Lootus, and I will lend the servants I brought with me as well. Between all of us, I believe it can be done."

Tommy swallowed. In three days at most, he was going to be married. To Adam. The sudden flood of nerves that hit him must have been written all over his face, because Queen Sasha leaned forward and rested a hand on his knee, her forehead creased in concern.

"Are you okay? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Like what, Your Majesty?" Tommy asked, unable to fathom what she could mean.

Queen Sasha sat back. "You just turned white as a sheet. I thought maybe…"

Tommy swallowed. "Maybe what?"

Queen Sasha shrugged. "Brooke told me you were forced into sexual slavery by Gregory, but that you claimed you willingly gave yourself to Adam. Was that the truth? Or do I have another trial to conduct?"

Tommy's eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously. "No. No, Adam did not force me. In fact, he gave me many outs. I was willing." Tommy's cheeks heated, but as much as he wanted to keep things between him and Adam private, he wanted to make sure Queen Sasha didn't think ill of Adam in any way, especially after all Adam had done for him since the day Tommy had met him, so he found himself admitting, "We even had a private ceremony of sorts, since the official one was a complete farce. We sealed the Master-slave contract then."

Queen Sasha's expression cleared up and she smiled. "Good. That is good." Standing, she said, "I believe I have all the answers I require. You should go discuss the situation with Adam and come to a decision on whether you would like to be married right away or not. I'll get your answer when I question Adam later today."

She held out her hand, which Tommy stood and bowed over, then kissed, before straightening and saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Queen Sasha smiled at him. "Thank you, Thomas."

Tommy turned to leave, but Queen Sasha's voice calling his name stopped him at the door and he turned to face her.

"Your Majesty?"

Head tilted a little, expression curious, Queen Sasha asked, "What will this new kingdom's name be?"

Tommy smiled. "Saatus, from—"

"—the ancient language, meaning destiny," Queen Sasha inserted. "I like that. It's fitting."

Tommy's smile widened. "We thought so, too."

Expression turning serious, Queen Sasha said, "From what I have heard and seen so far, what you and Adam have is rare. Made even more rare by the circumstances you found it under. Never take that for granted."

Tommy saw a flash of sadness in her eyes and suddenly remembered hearing a few years back that Queen Sasha—then a princess—had lost her wife to consumption not long after their union.

Nodding his head, Tommy said, "I won't. I swear it."

The next three days went by in a blur and before Tommy knew it, he found himself staring into Jeni's mirror, willing himself to breathe and his stomach to stop trying to turn itself inside out with nerves. He was getting married in an hour … that is, if he didn't pass out and miss it.

There was a knock at the door and Sutan breezed in without waiting for an answer.

"Come in," Tommy said dryly.

Sutan laughed and crossed to where Tommy was sitting at Jeni's dressing table. Neil and Jeni had lent him their chambers to prepare for the ceremony while Adam used his own chambers. Afterwards, Adam's chambers would become Tommy's and Adam's chambers. They could have moved into the king's chambers together, but both had agreed they had no desire to take up residence in a place where they had ended a life, so they had declared Adam's chambers the new royal chambers and had the old royal chambers re-designated as a guest chamber for visiting royalty, which was why Queen Sasha was currently occupying it.

Bending to brush a kiss on Tommy's forehead, Sutan said, "You were the one who told me to treat you as I do Adam. I never wait for an invitation from him. Besides," Sutan added with a wink as he straightened, "Now that you're not a pleasure slave anymore, I have to rely on the element of surprise if I ever want to catch a glimpse of you without your clothes again."

Tommy laughed, some of the tension that had been coiling inside releasing with it. Shooting Sutan a suggestive smile, Tommy said, "Don't be so sure. Adam might have something to say about that."

Sutan's eyes flashed with heat, even as he arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Just Adam?"

Tommy blushed. He hadn't meant to phrase it in a way that would give away his and Adam's arrangement, but really, what was the harm? If Adam followed through on what they'd talked about the night Sutan watched them have sex, Sutan would figure it out soon enough.

Tommy cleared his throat, and shifted in Jeni's chair. "Well, he did ask me, and I agreed, but…"

"Ooh," Sutan said, a knowing tone suddenly in his voice. "You liked the submission. You're going to continue with it."

Tommy bit his bottom lip and nodded. Glancing up at Sutan, Tommy asked, "Is that … odd, do you think? Given our stations?"

Sutan's gaze turned soft and he knelt down next to the chair so that they were closer to eye level. "What I think is that it would be odd for you to deny a part of yourself that clearly gives you pleasure." Tommy's cheeks started to heat at the implication of Sutan's words, but Sutan quickly shook his head. "I don't mean sexual pleasure, although that too. I mean that you radiate when you're around him, and he around you, especially when the two of you are in chambers where neither of you have to shoulder a king's responsibilities. Whatever the two of you have agreed to, it works, so why question it?"

Tommy blew out a breath, sending his fringe fluttering in the air in front of his face for a brief second before it settled again. "I know. I'm not really questioning it. I'm just…"

"Nervous and your mind is racing?" Sutan asked when Tommy trailed off.

Tommy nodded. "How did you…"

Sutan laughed and stood, setting the satchel he'd brought in with him on Jeni's dressing table. "Please. It's written all over your face."

Tommy's shoulders slumped, until Sutan reached out and squeezed one, saying, "If it helps at all, I just came from Adam's chambers and he's no better off."

Tommy smiled at Sutan's reflection in the mirror. "It does help. Thank you."

"Anytime. Now, let's get to work on your face."

 

"Take a deep breath, brother, before you pass out and miss your own handfasting," Neil said dryly as they stood in a corridor off the great hall, out of sight of the guests gathering within.

"I think I've forgotten how," Adam responded, not rising to the verbal sparring he knew Neil was trying for.

"Wow," Neil said. "Not even an attempt at a retort. Maybe you should sit for a minute before you really do pass out."

Adam chuckled. "No. Thank you, but no. I just need this ceremony to get started already. The waiting is killing me."

Neil snorted. "The waiting isn't all that's going to kill you if you don't calm down." Starting for the entrance to the great hall, Neil said, "I'll go see if there's anything that can be done to speed this up."

Adam reached out and grabbed Neil's hand, shaking his head when Neil looked back at him. "No. I'll be fine."

Neil hesitated before nodding. Adam dropped his hand and took a deep breath like Neil had suggested. It didn't help.

Neil reached out and gripped Adam's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You have nothing to be nervous about. You've picked well. Tommy is a good man. I know the two of you will be as happy as Jeni and I."

Adam took another deep breath. That time when he released it, a good portion of his nerves went with it.

Offering Neil an affectionate smile, Adam said, "Thank you. Your approval means a lot to me." He paused before adding, "I fully apologize for the way I teased you the day you married Jeni. Now that I know what it feels like, I'm surprised you didn't run me through."

Neil laughed. "Yes, well, believe it or not, you helped take my mind off it. The teasing was exactly what I needed at the time."

Overwhelmed with a burst of love and gratitude for his brother, Adam reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. "I would have never made it through all these years since our father's death without you."

Neil hugged him back. "Nor I you."

Impulsively, Adam said, "I mean it. To this day I do not know what you said or did to our uncle to stop what was happening in the beginning, but whatever it was, you saved me. There aren't words for how grateful I am for that."

Neil stiffened for a moment in Adam's arms, understandably so since they had never once talked about it, with the exception of the night Gregory had been about to rape Tommy, and even then, Neil's role in stopping Gregory's abuse had never been discussed.

Just when Adam started to worry he'd said too much, Neil relaxed and hugged him so tightly it cut off Adam's air. "That is behind us and we both know you would have done the same for me. In fact, you probably would have gone farther and killed him. I wish I had had the guts to do that at the time."

Adam pulled out of the hug and set Neil away from him, hands on his shoulders. Staring into Neil's eyes, Adam shook his head. "You were barely a teenager. Trust me, you would not have wanted that burden on your shoulders. I'm a full grown man, and even with what he had done and threatened to do, it still weighs on me at times. It's not the same as killing someone on the battlefield."

Glancing around them before speaking, Neil said solemnly, "So it was you, not Randal. I thought so, but you didn't say anything, so I let it be."

"It was me," Adam confirmed. I used the poison we asked Sutan keep on hand for us."

Neil reached up and laid his hands over Adam's, which were still on his shoulders. "I wish you had allowed me to be there with you so you wouldn't have to do it alone, but I'm glad you did it. His life needed to end before he hurt anyone else."

Adam looked past Neil to the doorway at the other end of the great hall, which led outside. Tommy was to walk through it at the start of the ceremony. The symbolism being that Adam—who was to enter from the corridor he was currently waiting in—was coming from Vox and Tommy was coming from the direction of Tousma to meet in the middle and join their kingdoms together. He couldn't see Tommy out there, but he spotted Monte and figured Tommy had to be nearby.

"I wasn't alone," Adam said. "Tommy insisted on coming with me. He was going to claim responsibility for it if we were found out, since he couldn't be punished for it the way I could have."

Neil squeezed Adam's hands. "Like I said. Tommy is a good man. You picked well."

Adam smiled, gaze focusing back on Neil. "I really did, didn't I?"

"Tommy," Monte said from off to one side.

Tommy had been staring up at the sky in the courtyard, trying to will his nerves away. It took a moment for him to blink away the spots in front of his eyes as he focused his gaze on Monte.

"Wow," Monte said. "You look amazing."

Tommy started to bite at his painted bottom lip, but stopped, reminding himself of Sutan's threat of bodily injury should he mess up any of the work put into his face. It was tradition in Vox for the people who were to marry to wear paints on their faces that accentuated their eyes and lips and cheeks. Adam had told him they didn't have to do it if Tommy didn't want to, but the idea had intrigued him, so he'd agreed.

Tommy was glad he did. After Sutan had gotten through with him, Tommy had to admit, he liked what he'd seen in Jeni's mirror. He wondered if maybe there might be other occasions they could work the tradition into. It seemed a shame to never get to have his face made up this way again.

"Thank you," Tommy said.

"I have the ring," Monte said.

Tommy glanced at the satchel Monte held up and nodded, feeling a little like he was about to lose his midday meal. "Good."

Monte peered at him, then stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Tommy's shoulder, pulling him into his side. Head turned toward Tommy, Monte said, "Relax. Take a deep breath."

"I believe I'm about to throw up," Tommy confided just above a whisper, glancing around desperately for somewhere with a bit of privacy.

They were outside, though, and while they were being given a wide berth by those out there with them, there was no real place of privacy anywhere nearby.

Monte chuckled and tightened his arm around Tommy's shoulders. "Remember when Lisa and I married?"

Tommy glanced over at Monte. "Yes?"

"I threw up three times that morning before you came in to help me get ready." Tommy's eyes widened and Monte smiled. "And the ceremony went on as planned anyway, and we have been happily married ever since. You will be too."

Tommy returned the grin and relaxed fractionally. "Thanks."

"Any time," Monte said.

"No," Tommy said, turning a little under Monte's arm to wrap his own around him and hug him back. "I mean it," Tommy continued quietly. "Thank you, for everything. For being the big brother I needed growing up, for believing in me when everyone else started to worry I'd never be anything more than a hopeless brat, and for being loyal to me through all this and coming to the rescue when you thought I was in trouble."

Monte snorted. "I almost got the man you love killed. You don't need to thank me."

Tommy laughed. "Yes, well, there is that," he teased. Turning serious, he added, "But he's fine and we're fine. It was an impressive battle plan, by the way, in case I hadn't mentioned that before, which proves my confidence and trust in you as chieftain is well deserved."

Monte pulled back and gripped Tommy's shoulders. Looking into his eyes, Monte said with conviction, "And you have turned into a fine man and a worthy king, proving my words to your father and my faith in _you_ were well deserved."

Tommy blinked back moisture, not wanting to ruin the amazing work Sutan had done on his eyes.

Before anything else could be said, Jeffery came out of nowhere and plowed right into Tommy from the side, wrapping his arms around Tommy and nearly knocking them both off their feet.

Tommy _oomph'ed_ as he stepped backwards to brace himself, laughing as he threw his arms around Jeffery in return.

"You know him, I assume?" Monte asked dryly.

Hot on Jeffery's heels, Richard ran up, admonishing, "Jeffery! I know you met King Thomas as a slave," Richard paused to flick a glance at Tommy like he was concerned Tommy might be angered at the reminder, then continued, "but he is a _king_. You do not just run up to kings and tackle them."

Jeffery tensed in Tommy's arms and started to pull back, mumbling, "Sorry. I didn't mean… I just haven't seen you much in the last couple of weeks or hardly at all for so long before that, and I missed you, and—"

"Jeffery," Tommy interrupted, hugging Jeffery closer for an instant before setting him away to look in his eyes. "You never have to apologize for wanting a hug from me. I consider you a friend and my friends are allowed all the hugs they want."

Jeffery's smile was blinding.

Tommy returned it, then added, "That said, Richard is right, it's not the wisest idea in the world to tackle a king, especially since you are not well-known to my men yet. If my guards hadn't stepped aside to give Monte and I privacy, you might have found yourself on the wrong end of a sword before I had a chance to call them off. However, anytime you want a hug, all you have to do is ask and I will make sure you get it."

Pulling him in again, Tommy gave Jeffery another hug, then turned them both toward Monte. "Monte, I'd like you to meet Jeffery, the only other person in all of Vox besides Adam and I that Wild will allow near him. Jeffery," Tommy continued, "Monte, my uncle, although he's always been more like a brother to me."

Jeffery nodded his head. "Nice to meet you, My Lord."

Monte nodded in return. "Tommy speaks highly of you. It's good to finally meet you."

Jeffery looked like he'd been struck speechless.

"Okay," Richard said, stepping forward to pull Jeffery away. "Let King Thomas get ready for the ceremony. You can talk to him later."

Jeffery turned back to Tommy and hugged him one last time, saying, "Good luck," before running off.

Richard turned to leave as well, but Tommy called his name, stopping him.

Monte glanced between them and excused himself, leaving Tommy and Richard alone. "Is there something you need, Your Highness?"

"First, there's no need for that. Not that long ago I was calling you sir. I'd rather you just continue to call me Tommy, if you don't mind."

Richard visibly relaxed at that, reminding Tommy that they hadn't had an opportunity to talk since Tommy had been recognized by Adam as a king.

"Second," Tommy said, "I'd like to thank you."

"Thank me?" Richard repeated.

Tommy nodded. "You treated me like a person, not a thing when I was pretending to be a slave, and even went out of your way to point out when I would lapse and do or say something that could get me in trouble. I won't soon forget that."

Looking pleased with the acknowledgement, Richard said, "Thank you, Your— Tommy."

Tommy smiled. "Three. Adam told me once that you made a difference in his life growing up, that you were like a second father to him when his own couldn't be around due to the duties of a king."

Looking embarrassed but pleased with the compliment, Richard said, "From very early on, I've thought about him like a father would a son."

Tommy tilted his head to the side consideringly. "And how do you think of Jeffery?"

"I'm sorry?" Richard asked.

"Jeffery. Do you have fatherly feelings toward him, as well?"

Richard blinked. "I hadn't stopped to think it through, but … yes. I do."

"For my first official act as coregent of Saatus, how would you feel about my seal of approval on adoption papers making him legally your son?"

Richard's eyes widened considerably. "What? But I thought…"

Tommy could see what he'd thought written on his face. It was obvious it had pained him to think about losing the day to day time he got to spend with Jeffery now, which proved Tommy's instincts on this were right.

"You thought Adam and I would adopt him, given our protectiveness toward him," Tommy finished when it became obvious Richard wasn't going to go on.

"Yes," Richard said.

"If you would rather not have the responsibility, we could do that. We've discussed it, actually, but if you're willing—"

"I'm most definitely willing," Richard interjected.

Tommy nodded. "Good, then since you're willing, we both feel he would be better off with you. We would love him to distraction, of course, but he would be a prince, royal bloodline or not, and as a prince, he would have to learn to become a knight, even though he is a bit old to be starting out as a squire at this stage and seems to have no inclinations in that direction. Worse, he would have to give up his duties in the stables to do it. It's obvious he loves those horses and equally obvious he has a gift for training and caring for them. It would be a shame to pull him away from a life he could thrive in and force him instead into a life he would most assuredly do well at, but would not be passionate about. Also, with our kingdoms newly joined, neither Adam nor I would have the time to devote to Jeffery that he requires at his age. All the way around, you are the better choice for him. Adam agrees."

Richard's eyes turned glassy and he blinked it away, saying in a choked voice, "I would be honored to be his guardian. My wife and I…" Richard broke off, cleared his throat, and continued, "When she was alive, we wanted children. We waited on them for years, but when it never came to pass, we decided it was best since the child would be born into slavery. And then she passed, and…" Richard swallowed and took a deep breath. "But now slavery's abolished and I do not know how I can possibly thank you for this gift you and Adam are bestowing upon me."

Tommy smiled. "Take care of him and teach him how to be the kind of man you are. That is all the thanks we need."

"I'll make a deal with you," Richard said, expression intent.

Tommy's eyebrows lifted. "Oh? What's that?"

"You take care of Adam and love him as much as I loved my wife, and we'll call it even."

Tommy grinned, holding out his hand. When Richard took it to shake, Tommy said, "Deal. There is nothing I would rather do."

Richard squeezed his hand. "I knew there was something different about you from the moment I met you. At first I put it off to your bloodline, but then I saw a light in Adam whenever he was around you that I hadn't seen since his father died and I knew there was something special there. I'm glad the two of you found your way to each other.”

"So am I," Tommy said softly, throat thick with emotion.

The ceremony itself wasn't overly long. Adam walked in from the corridor, looking every inch a regal king in his embroidered tunic and silk shirt. As Tommy entered from the courtyard, he stared at Adam, awed at the way the face paints Sutan had applied to Adam transformed his face. Tommy had always thought Adam was extremely attractive, but now he had to add beautiful to the list of ways he could describe Adam's face. They met in front of the steps to the throne and Tommy found he couldn't quite catch his breath as they faced each other and Queen Sasha started the ceremony, speaking to the room in general about commitment and unity and alliances.

Before Tommy knew it, it was time for the rings. Monte handed the one he held to Tommy and Neil handed the one he held to Adam, then together Tommy and Adam slipped them on each other's hands.

Once that was done, Queen Sasha took Tommy's right hand and Adam's left and brought them together, then began the handfasting part of the ceremony by winding a long strip of rich blue embroidered cloth around their wrists and interlocked hands in an intricate pattern, leaving the ends to hang down nearly to the floor.

"Thomas," Queen Sasha asked, "will you honor Adam?"

Tommy stared into Adam's eyes and said with conviction, "I will."

"And Adam, will you honor Thomas?"

"I will," Adam said firmly.

"Will you seek to never break this union?"

"We will," Adam and Tommy said together.

"And so you are bound together," Queen Sasha said, using the two ends dangling down to tie the first knot just below their clasped hands, locking them together.

Straightening again, Queen Sasha asked the next question, "Thomas, will you remain faithful to Adam and to your marriage for as long you both are alive?"

"I will," Tommy vowed.

"Adam, will you remain faithful to Tommy and to your marriage for as long as you both are alive?"

"I will," Adam said, squeezing Tommy's hand inside the cloth.

"And so you are bound again," Queen Sasha said, leaning down to tie another knot beneath the first.

The handfasting continued that way until they had ten knots in the strip of fabric, symbolizing the ten promises they had made each other.

Afterwards, Queen Sasha said, "I now declare your lives bound together, as well as your kingdoms. You shall go forward and rule your new kingdom, Saatus, side by side. May Saatus be blessed with riches and bounty and may your marriage be strong and unwavering."

A cheer went up throughout the great hall and Tommy turned toward the room, assuming it was now time for the various nobility present to come over and offer their congratulations, but Adam surprised him by waving off the minstrels—who had started to play a song. The music died out and Tommy looked up at Adam questioningly.

Adam grinned and squeezed Tommy's hand, then faced the crowd, saying loudly to as to be heard by all of them, "There is one more tradition I would like all of you to witness. I was told this morning of a ritual that is part of Tousma's marriage ceremonies."

Wondering which tradition Adam could be talking about, Tommy's gaze flew to Monte, guessing it had been him who had told Adam about whatever it was, but Monte just shrugged. Seeking out Isaac, Tommy found him standing nearby and the grin on his face was all the confirmation Tommy needed that it had been him.

Looking back over at Adam, Tommy waited to hear which tradition he meant. There were a few it could be. With only three days to get ready, there just hadn't been enough time to prepare an elaborate ceremony and include everything from both kingdoms. When there was overlap, Tommy had opted to go with Vox's traditions since that was where the ceremony was taking place.

Adam motioned Sutan forward, then turned to Tommy and said, "I was told it's traditional in Tousma to receive matching ringed piercings at the top of the left ear in lieu of a ring on the finger. While we followed the Vox tradition of rings for our fingers, I do believe there is nothing saying we can't honor Tousma's tradition and have both. That is, if you agree, husband."

Touched, Tommy bit his bottom lip and nodded his consent. Sutan stepped forward, and while their cloth wrapped hands remained locked together, Sutan prepared Adam's ear. When he lifted the needle to Adam's ear, Tommy reached out and grabbed Adam's other hand in his, holding that one, too.

Sutan pierced Adam's ear, then followed it through with a ring and stepped back.

Tommy swallowed and said, "With this ring, I bind my life to yours."

Adam smiled at him, love shining in his eyes.

Sutan circled around and prepared Tommy's left ear, then shoved the needle through it, right above the sex slave piercing Tommy had not taken out. Tommy sucked in a breath at the flash of pain that settled into a dull throb as Sutan fed the ring through the newly made hole in Tommy's ear, then stepped back.

Squeezing Tommy's hands in his, Adam said, "With this ring, I bind my life to yours."

Everyone cheered again, then started chanting for them to kiss. Tommy laughed, joy swelling within him, as Adam shrugged and reached out with his free hand, pulling Tommy into him for a kiss. What started out as a chaste press of lips turned heated quickly when Tommy impulsively licked at the seam of Adam's lips, tasting not only Adam, but the paint on his lips, too. Adam took the invitation for what it was and deepened the kiss, arm wrapped around Tommy's waist, holding Tommy against him as he slid his tongue into Tommy's mouth. Tommy kissed him back fervently, forgetting completely where they were until the group gathered in the great hall started cheering even louder.

Pulling free of the kiss, Tommy licked his lips and stared dazedly up at Adam. Adam grinned smugly at him and Tommy couldn't help the roll of his eyes or the grin that crept onto his face.

Leaning in, he reached up and rubbed at the corner of Adam's mouth, saying, "Your paint is smeared."

Adam chuckled and returned the favor, saying, "So is yours."

As Adam rubbed, his expression turned from amused to intent and he said quietly, "I cannot wait to get you alone."

Tommy swallowed hard. "Let's make this celebration short."

An hour later, they were finally receiving the last of the gifts and congratulations up at the throne. The chairs could not even be seen any longer for all that was piled on top of and around them, and Tommy was lightheaded with drink, servants having kept their goblets topped off while they talked to guests.

Once the last of the nobility walked off, Tommy took a deep breath and said quietly, "Finally. I thought it would never end."

Adam chuckled and squeezed Tommy's hand inside the binding still wrapped around them. "Just think if we'd had the weeks to prepare we should have had, instead of days. There would have been easily three times as many people here. We'd never be done."

"Remind me to thank the sovereign for rushing the schedule then," Tommy said sincerely.

Adam glanced around, then pulled Tommy over to a shadowy corner. Tommy followed and let Adam press him against the stone wall at his back as Adam closed in for a kiss.

Afterwards, Adam brushed Tommy's fringe out of his face and cupped his cheek. "I love you."

Tommy leaned in and pressed his lips to Adam's before pulling back to say, "I love you, too."

Adam chased Tommy's mouth with his and soon they were kissing heatedly, Adam pressed against Tommy, his free hand low on Tommy's back, Tommy's free hand twisted in the front of Adam's embroidered tunic as music played around them and people danced and laughed.

So lost were they in the kiss that Tommy didn't notice at first when the laughing and talking shifted into chanting aimed in their direction yet again. When he did notice, it took a moment longer to decipher what they were saying, distracted as he was by Adam's tongue in his mouth. When Tommy did finally catch on, he pulled out of the kiss, sucking in a sharp breath, eyes widening.

They chanted, "Con-su-mate, con-su-mate," over and over and suddenly, Tommy realized that in a kingdom where public sex was normal, it stood to reason it would be expected that a couple would consummate their marriage in public, too.

Adam smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. It's not required. We can choose not to."

Tommy licked his lips, heart pounding in his ears as he asked, "Do you want to?"

Adam's eyes widened a little, but then he shook his head, smiling softly at Tommy. "No. Not this time. I want you all to myself tonight."

Tommy's breath caught and his body warmed. He was amazed he could still feel shy around Adam after all they'd been through together, not to mention all they'd done together. "I would like that too."

Turning to the crowd, Adam motioned for them to quiet, then said, "Thank you, all of you, for witnessing our union. We are going to take our leave, now, but the rest of you are welcome to stay and celebrate as long as you like. Goodnight."

Various sounds of disappointment sounded through the crowd that they weren't going to get a show, but it quickly turned into cheering and rice throwing as Adam and Tommy made their way to the corridor that led to the royal wing.

They broke free of the throng of well-wishers and rice-throwers when they reached the entrance to the corridor and broke out into a run, laughing the whole way down the hall and up the stairs of the tower.

Tommy's lungs burned and he felt like a youth again by the time they reached the landing that led to Adam's—correction, their—bedchamber. Stumbling after Adam, who was pulling him along by their joined hands, Tommy huffed out a breath as they reached the door.

"Wait," Tommy said as Adam opened the door. "Weren't we supposed to get these bindings off and leave the knotted cloth in the great hall to hang on the throne wall?"

Adam cursed and looked back the way they'd come, then at Tommy and said, "Tomorrow will be soon enough to hang it. If I don't have you now, I will surely die."

Tommy rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the pleased smile that curved his lips. "Dramatics will get you everywhere."

Adam winked as he pulled Tommy into the room and closed the door behind him. "I'm counting on it."

Wasting no time, Adam shoved Tommy against the door and pressed himself against him, grinding his hips into Tommy's stomach. "Feel how hard I am for you already?"

Tommy groaned and spread his legs, allowing one of Adam's knees between them. Grinding himself against Adam's thigh, Tommy responded, "As hard as I am for you."

"Gods," Adam said, "Come here."

They kissed urgently, Adam pressing their bound hands to the door, next to Tommy's head. Their free hands roamed over each other, sneaking under clothing to bare skin, until they were both frantic with the need to be naked and together.

Pulling away, Adam stepped back and brought their bound hands between them to work on freeing them. "This needs to come off, now."

Tommy tried to help him, but quickly got annoyed.

"Either I am too drunk or too turned on to figure it out," Tommy mumbled after a minute of trying to work the snuggly wrapped cloth off his wrist and over his hand.

Adam grunted in frustration. "Me too." After one more fruitless tug, he huffed out a laugh. "This is probably why it's supposed to be taken off in the great hall."

Tommy tilted his head a little, looking at Adam. "Should we go back down?"

Adam seemed to consider it, then shook his head and used their bound hands to yank Tommy to him. "No. I want to be inside you _now_. We can make it work."

Tommy shivered as Adam's free hand roamed over his ass and squeezed, pressing Tommy's hard dick in against him. Tommy hissed out a breath and reached out, pulling at the belt holding Adam's tunic closed. Adam followed suit, and both belts hit the floor, leaving the tunics hanging loosely off them.

Thankfully, since they were ceremonial tunics and not for practical wear, they were open at the sides. Quickly, Adam and Tommy helped get each other's tunics over their heads. They tossed them on the nearby table, then went to work on each of their undergarments. Before long, those fell to the floor, leaving them both in nothing but silk undershirts, their hard dicks jutting out from underneath obscenely.

Tommy studied Adam's shirt. "How do we get these off?"

Adam reached up and grabbed a fistful of the front of Tommy's. Pausing, he asked, "Do you have any particular attachment to this?"

Getting what Adam was going to do, Tommy licked his lips, blood heating, and said huskily, "Not a one."

"Good," Adam said, then yanked.

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath, beyond aroused as Adam literally ripped it from his body. He allowed Adam a moment to stare at him before he reached up and grabbed Adam's undershirt.

"Any attachment?" Tommy asked, echoing Adam's question.

"Not a one," Adam said, repeating Tommy's words back to him.

"Good," Tommy said, then yanked.

"That was… Come here," Adam said.

Tommy stepped in close and Adam grabbed him by the back of his head, smashing their mouths together. The kiss was violent, all tongue and teeth, bodies grinding together as they stumbled toward the bed.

Tommy ran into it first and lost his balance, falling backwards on it. The room spun for a moment and he giggled. "Definitely too much drink."

Adam climbed on the bed after Tommy, straddling his thighs as he reached down for Tommy's erection, fisting it. "Not _too_ much, no."

Tommy moaned, pressing his head back into the mattress as Adam's hand slid up and down his dick.

"Want me inside you?"

"Yes," Tommy hissed. " _So_ much."

Together they scooted up the bed clumsily, their bound hands making everything awkward, but at the same time, twice as hot. While Adam reached for the oil on his nightstand, Tommy pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Here," Adam said gruffly, pressing the bottle of oil into Tommy's free hand.

Tommy held it while Adam pulled the stopper out, then Tommy tipped it over himself, sucking his stomach in so that the oil pooled in his navel.

Adam rubbed his fingers through it before bringing them to Tommy's ass, probing and then sinking in, two on the first go.

Tommy groaned, eyes fluttering shut, but Adam said, "No. Leave them open. Want to see you."

Tommy forced his eyes open and stared up at Adam, breath caught in his throat at the heat and love in Adam's eyes.

When Adam went to add another finger, Tommy shook his head. "I'm ready. Now. Please. Want you inside me now."

Adam hesitated before nodding and swiping up more oil to rub over his dick. Tommy reached out blindly and set the oil on Adam's nightstand just as Adam entered him. Tommy gasped at the burn, but it was a good burn and soon he was wrapping his legs around Adam's waist, the fingers of his free hand digging into Adam's shoulder as he rocked up into Adam's thrusts.

"So good for me," Adam breathed against Tommy's neck, thrusting in fast and hard. "So tight, so hot."

Tommy grunted and tried to get his legs higher, wanting Adam deeper. Adam took the hint and hooked one of Tommy's legs over his arm, but the other just wouldn't work with their bound hands complicating things, so Tommy left that leg wrapped around Adam's back.

That got Adam deeper and Tommy moaned out, " _Yes_."

Adam leaned over him, trying to capture Tommy's mouth in a kiss, but ever time he put his weight on their joined hands, the material of the cloth binding them together slid against the silk sheets on Adam's bed and Adam lost his leverage. Finally, he made a sound of frustration and let down Tommy's leg.

Sitting back, he pulled out of Tommy completely and ordered gruffly, "Kneel up."

Wondering what Adam's plan was, Tommy scrambled up to his knees, only to have Adam manhandle him around until his back was to Adam's chest, Tommy's legs spread on either side of Adam's, Tommy's bound hand crossing the front of his body, their joined hands resting on Tommy's hip as Adam guided himself back into Tommy from behind.

Tommy sank back until he was sitting on Adam's dick, even deeper than he had been before. "Oh… That's…" Tommy said, trailing off as his head dropped back to Adam's shoulder.

"Good," Adam asked breathlessly against Tommy's ear.

"Amazing," Tommy replied, rotating his hips a little to feel Adam move inside him.

"Mmm," Adam said, nipping at Tommy's ear. "Think I found a new favorite position for you. Fuck yourself on me."

Tommy moaned at the order, dick jumping in the air in front of him. He pulled his head up from Adam's shoulder so he could lift partway off Adam's cock, then sank back down. He did it again and again, wave after wave of pleasure crashing through his body as Adam's dick rubbed against that spot inside him that always drove him crazy.

"That's it, love," Adam said on a groan. "Just like that."

While Tommy fucked himself on Adam, Adam pressed their bound hands into Tommy's stomach, keeping his back flush to Adam's chest. His other hand reached up and pinched Tommy's nipples in turn, the jolt of pleasure-pain going straight to Tommy's aching cock.

Tommy moaned and sped up a little, but Adam pinched hard and said, "No, not yet. Keep it slow."

Tommy whimpered. "Please."

"No," Adam said firmly. "Want to make it last."

Tommy moaned pitifully, but slowed down, even as his body screamed for more, dick leaking, urgency building in the pit of his stomach until he had to reach down with his free hand and dig his fingers into Adam's forearm.

Adam pushed his hand up past Tommy's chest, over the side of his neck and around to the back of his head. He continued up until his hand was at the top of Tommy's head, then he fisted the fringe there and pulled back, making Tommy's neck arch and his rhythm falter.

Once Tommy settled into the new position, Adam licked a line up the side of Tommy's exposed neck and asked against his ear, "You want to speed up, don't you? Make yourself come on my dick right now?"

"Yes," Tommy hissed.

"But you won't," Adam said, hand slipping away from Tommy's hair and around to his throat, the web between thumb and forefinger framing Tommy's chin.

"No," Tommy responded.

"Why?" Adam asked, squeezing Tommy's neck slightly, just enough to make Tommy gasp and his dick jump.

"Because you told me not to," Tommy said, swallowing hard against the hand at his throat. Tension coiled hot and tight in his gut as a fresh wave of arousal slammed through him.

"And?" Adam asked.

Tommy faltered, not sure what Adam wanted to hear, but then Adam's teeth closed over the bottom ball holding Tommy's sex slave piercing in his ear and tugged lightly.

"Because I'm yours," Tommy blurted. "My mind, my body, my everything. I'm yours."

"Gods," Adam said, voice rough. He buried his face in Tommy's neck, hand still at Tommy's neck, forcing Tommy to still for a moment.

Tommy felt Adam's hot breath against his skin, felt him shudder against him, and knew Adam was fighting off his orgasm, all because of Tommy's admission. The knowledge was nearly Tommy's undoing and he clenched around Adam reflexively.

Adam gasped. "Hold still."

Tommy tried, eyes squeezed shut, breathing labored, but he was so damn close it was nearly impossible. Finally, Adam lifted his head and dropped his hand from Tommy's neck to his waist.

"Now."

Tommy groaned in relief and started riding Adam's cock fast and hard. Adam's hips snapped up to meet Tommy's downward thrust, sinking so deep inside that Tommy cried out, body starting to shake with the overload of pleasure.

And then Adam wrapped his hand around Tommy's dick and said against his ear, "Come for me," and Tommy was gone, body convulsing as his balls drew up. He came all over his chest and arm and Adam's hand.

Adam followed him a few thrusts later, and Tommy sank back against him, boneless, as Adam froze, groaning out his pleasure and flooding Tommy's insides.

Afterwards, they sank down to the bed together. With Adam laying half on top of him, Tommy wiggled around until he was on his back, one of Adam's knees wedged between Tommy's legs, their bound hands lying on Tommy's stomach. Tommy lay staring at nothing in particular as he enjoyed the afterglow.

After a time, Adam leaned in and kissed the side of Tommy's neck, causing him to shiver, then licked along it to his ear. He sucked the lobe and Tommy's piercings into his mouth, then released them and licked along the outer shell until he encountered Tommy's sex slave piercing. Tommy felt him flick it with his tongue, and then he asked the question Tommy had been waiting for him to ask for the last two and a half weeks, although with everything that had been going on and the fact that as a result they hadn't had much more energy at night than to fall in bed exhausted together, it wasn't surprising Adam hadn't mentioned it yet.

"Why haven't you taken this out?" Adam asked, propping himself up on his arm so he was staring down at Tommy.

Tommy looked over at Adam and asked, "Do you want me to?"

"I didn't say that," Adam replied. "Now, answer the question."

Tommy really shouldn't be turned on by an order to share his thoughts, especially so soon after one of the best orgasms he'd ever had, but he found he was, even though he was far from being able to get hard yet.

"Because I'm still yours," Tommy said simply.

"But you're also a king," Adam said.

Tommy shrugged. "So? Slavery's been abolished. The piercing should carry no more stigma within the kingdom. It only means something to you and I now, something beyond our marriage promises and the rings on our fingers and in our ears. It's a sign of the first commitment we made to each other, and I don't want to get rid of that."

The love shining in Adam's eyes at Tommy's answer filled Tommy up to bursting.

"You are truly amazing," Adam said, awe in his voice.

Tommy smiled and looked down at Adam's chin, the intensity in Adam's eyes a little too much just then. "Not really, no."

Adam reached up and tugged on Tommy's hair until Tommy met his eyes again. "You are." Glancing up at Tommy's fringe, Adam asked, "What about this? As good as you looked with long hair when we met, I find I rather like you like this and don't look forward to it growing back out."

Tommy reached up and tucked a strand of long dark hair behind Adam's ear that had worked its way free of the leather thong at the back of Adam's neck.

Thinking through what Adam had asked, Tommy said, "I could leave my hair like this and just tell the people it's a symbol to remind them that slavery no longer has any meaning in our kingdom. I could use the same excuse for why I'm not getting rid of the slave piercing."

Adam grinned. "I like that."

"Then it's settled," Tommy said. "As far as our kingdom is concerned, I will be bucking tradition."

The grin that spread across Adam's face was nothing short of breathtaking.

"What?" Tommy asked, replaying his words in his head and trying to figure out what could have caused that kind of reaction.

" _Our_ kingdom," Adam replied, his bound hand squeezing Tommy's. "You said, _our kingdom._ "

Tommy smiled in return. "I did, didn't I?"

Adam nodded. "Did you ever think we'd get here?"

Tommy swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "Until I admitted the truth to you and you forgave me for my lies, I never even dared to hope there was a 'here' to get to."

Adam leaned down and brushed his lips over Tommy's. Pulling back, he asked, "And now?"

"And now there's nowhere else I'd rather be. Nowhere else I can imagine being," Tommy said.

Adam brought Tommy's bound hand up to his mouth and kissed a sliver of skin visible between strips of cloth. "Me either."

Tommy grinned. Glancing at their hands, he commented, "We should probably call someone in here to unbind this."

Adam laid down on his side, his head on Tommy's pillow, their cheeks pressed together, and brought their intertwined hands to rest on Tommy's chest, the trail of blue knots traveling down to Tommy's waist before dropping off to the side and sprawling over the sheets.

"No. Leave it. I rather enjoy having this extra connection to you just now. Who knows? Maybe it will even start a new tradition when the kingdom—our kingdom—realizes why the cloth is not hanging from the wall behind the throne yet."

Tommy stared at their hands and realized he liked the extra connection also.

Something that had been weighing on Tommy's thoughts from time to time over the last couple of weeks came to mind then, and with the firelight crackling and the quiet of the night pressing in around them, Tommy asked just above a whisper, "Adam?"

"Hmm?" Adam responded, sounding close to sleep.

Tommy cleared his throat. "Would you come with me to my father's grave?"

With everything that had been happening since Adam got injured in battle and took over Vox—not to mention the sovereign's arrival and the rushed marriage ceremony—there had been no time to even consider traveling to Tousma, let alone going to visit his father's grave. Monte had said it was located in the woods just outside Lootus. They had managed to spirit his body away from the battlefield before Vox's knights burned the rest of the bodies, and had made a pyre a safe distance away, then gathered the ashes and took them back to Lootus, where they buried him in secret before Vox's army arrived to take Tousma over.

Adam lifted his head, sounding a lot more awake than he had a moment ago when he spoke. "I would be honored. Why don't we take tomorrow to rest and then we can head out? We should spend some time at Lootus anyway. I've never been to Tousma, and I'm sure you're anxious to see your homeland again, and your people. Neil is more than capable of seeing to Vox in our absence."

Tommy swallowed the lump in his throat, a wave of homesickness hitting him hard and fast, followed by a rush of love for the man who was now his husband. "I would like that, yes." He paused, then added, "Thank you."

"For what?" Adam asked, bemused.

Tommy grinned. "For making me happier than I ever thought possible."

Adam smiled in return. "You know, we are going to sicken everyone around us with how disgustingly happy we are together. "

Tommy chuckled. "I can think of worse things to be sickened by."

Adam leaned in and licked along the line of Tommy's lips. When Tommy opened for him, Adam whispered into his mouth, "Me too, love. Me too," before slipping his tongue in to meet Tommy's.


End file.
